


Fake Mistletoe

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Fluff, Multi, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, POV Multiple, nothing too major but some blood, very minor angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2019-09-25 15:05:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 25,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17123633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The Atlas and its crew are readying for a mission several galaxies away in order to restore peace across the universe. The problem is, the crew will be spending Christmas aboard the Atlas. While it's cramped and at times uncomfortable, Voltron, the MFEs and the Atlas crew will spend time getting to know each other.-This is me making an entirely plotless winter-y themed fanfiction.In no way do I own Voltron: Legendary Defender or its characters. I only own my writing.Set within the canon universe (not an AU lmao), just not within any canon timeline.Potential mild s8 spoilers





	1. Chapter 1

The Lions were ready to go in the bays of the Atlas, along with the MFE jets and tension was running high in the Galaxy Garrison. Lance and Hunk were bidding their families goodbye, while Pidge, Keith and Allura readied their presents for Christmas.

"What is Christhims anyway?" Allura had asked Pidge as she boxed up belongings she wanted to bring for the considerably long journey.

"Christmas is an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus," Pidge began. At Allura's further confused expression, she explained further. "Jesus was a figure in a religion called Christianity, which is talked about in a book called the Bible. In my opinion, it's a load of bullshit, but a lot of people who don't believe in it celebrate Christmas anyway."

"Right," Allura said, dragging out the vowel.

"It's quite a confusing concept, don't worry," Pidge waved the matter away. "Honestly, I'm just in it for the festivities." She grinned as she pulled countless t-shirts from her drawer and into a large cardboard box labelled 'CLOTHES'. Amongst other boxes labelled things such as 'MY ROOM' and 'PRESENTS' laid Bae-Bae and seemingly endless cables. Pidge hastily tucked everything into their appropriate boxes before asking Allura to help her carry them on board the ship.

*

"As I'm sure you're all aware, we'll be spending over a month aboard the Atlas in order to reach the planet Zayeliv to complete our restoration of peace, which is... conveniently... several galaxies away. So I hope everyone's ready for an exciting Christmas and New Year." Shiro briefed the crew, Paladins, and MFE pilots. Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk and Allura left the hubbub for their rooms. It had been decided that Ina, Nadia, Allura and Pidge would share while Lance, Keith, Hunk, Ryan and James would share another.

In the girls' room, boxes were being unpacked and belongings placed into position. Pidge was finished before anyone even had a chance to get a word in. She'd left the room, claiming it was too hot, and she wanted to see how the others were doing.

The boys' room, to say the least, closely resembled a war zone. Keith and James were bristling, shooting each other dirty looks as they pulled their various clothing and belongings into place. Lance and Hunk only watched the scene unfold with silent shared grins. Ryan, however, had pulled out a camera and was documenting the scene noiselessly. Only Lance and Ryan noticed as Pidge appeared in the doorway.

"Pidge, you're a saviour." Lance sighed as she wiped her glasses.

"I thought that was Jesus's job?" She asked with a grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're Jesus now, then," Lance chuckled. Pidge shook her head dismissively and rubbed her nose, conscious that now James and Keith had diverted their attention to her.

"I was just wondering if any of you were done. At the rate the others are going, they'll be there for hours, and we haven't had the chance to properly see the ship," Pidge grinned. Lance and Hunk smiled back at her, and Ryan only focused his gaze on his camera, which was trained on her.

"I'll come," Lance agreed. Hunk's expression questioned him.

"Lance, you haven't finished unpacking."

"I'll do it later." Lance brushed him off.

"In that case, I'll come with you." Hunk decided, following Lance and Pidge from the room. Kinkade seemed to pause as though he was considering something, then spoke.

"If you don't mind, can I come with you? I'm making a video and it'll be far more interesting if there are other people in it," he asked slightly awkwardly.

Hunk gave Lance and Pidge a quick glance before nodding. "Sure! The more, the merrier, right?" Kinkade brought his eyes to Hunk's bright smile and his steely expression softened. The four turned from the room, leaving Keith and James alone to settle their differences.

The group spent the afternoon wandering through the futuristic maze that was the Atlas, coming across kitchens, control rooms, bedrooms and areas that neither the Paladins nor Kinkade could explain. Ryan would occasionally stop passing crew members for a brief interview and asked Pidge, Lance and Hunk about being a Paladin of Voltron.


	2. Chapter 2 (Lance)

It was the second day of being on the Atlas and James and Keith still seemed inches from each others' necks. It had been strange, being in space without threats or having to use the lions or even Voltron at all. Pidge and Hunk promised Kinkade that they'd take him for a ride in one of their lions. Which to be honest, sounded terrifying.

The festivity and excitement for Christmas was definitely in the air- or atmosphere? Or lack thereof? Either way, there was a team who'd volunteered to help put decorations up, so I agreed. After Veronica went around recruiting people, it was her, Acxa, Rizavi, Allura, Coran, me, a commander called Curtis, and Pidge. It's odd, I'd never pegged Pidge as the kind of person to get into Christmas festivities and, well, community service, but then again, I thought she was a boy for about two years.

I met everyone in one of the many side rooms. The one made me feel slightly emotional; it was reminiscent of the lounge room that was in the Castle of Lions, so I could only imagine how Allura was feeling.

"Okay, team," Veronica established that she'd be leading the group. "I'm going to split you into pairs, the give you a box of decorations. Use good judgement-" she shot me a dirty look. "And be sensible." Her eyes remained fixed upon me. "Right, so, Nadia and Curtis, you're a pair. Allura and Coran, you two. Lance and Pidge, and then I'll go with Acxa." She gave Acxa a fleeting smile before gesturing to the boxes stacked in the corner. After what Veronica had said during one of the missions when we were fighting the Galra, I had hoped she'd pair me with Allura. Begrudgingly, I made my way over to Pidge, who was already clutching a box.

"Okay, so, where do we start?" She'd pinned her fringe out of her eyes, the freckles on her forehead becoming prominent and her amber eyes were bright behind her glasses.

"Shall we do the bathrooms?" I suggested with a mischievous grin. She chuckled back with a nod. I couldn't help but bring my eyes to Allura as she laughed at something Rizavi was saying. Allura's hair was loose, rippling as she moved, and her gemlike amethyst eyes crinkled as she giggled. I was dragged back to Pidge as she tapped my arm.

"Bathrooms it is." She turned, and I followed her, fully prepared to spend time with one of my closest friends. We walked side by side and I dared to ask her a question I'd been meaning to for a long time.

"Pidge?" She looked up at me. "How would I go about asking someone out?" She blinked nondescriptly, then sighed.

"You want to ask Allura out?" I paused. Ultimately, in all honesty, I'd made it obvious I liked Allura. "Well, you need to be sure you really like her. And know what you like about her. It's important that you don't detract from each other, too. You need to be good for each other." Pidge said seriously. "It's important that you don't lose yourself in getting tangled with her. Nobody wants to lose the Lance - or Allura - they've come to know. Especially me."

"Well, in your professional opinion, are we good for each other?" I raised my eyebrows. "Will I lose myself by being with her?" I was touched by what she had said. Losing Pidge as a friend would quite possibly be one of the worst things that could happen to me. 

"I don't think- I don't- It's not really my job to decide or even know that. Why not you think about it while we're working?" She posed the question slightly awkwardly, but I nodded nonetheless.

"Anyway. Sorry about that," I chuckled. "So. What's in this box?" We began digging through, and it mostly comprised of tinsel, fairy lights, surprisingly convincing plastic mistletoe and baubles.

We spent the afternoon decorating stalls with tinsel, hanging fake mistletoe in inappropriate places and adding baubles anywhere we could. As for the fairy lights, we decided to leave them around the bridge, twinkling like little stars.

When everyone on the decorating team reconvened where we'd originally met, Veronica commended everybody on their work and handed out candy canes. I pondered on what Pidge had said about Allura, and came to a decision, possibly with a slight bias.

I was going to ask her out. It was just a matter of when.


	3. 3 (Shiro)

The journey had been going smoothly, and Veronica set up a team to decorate the Atlas accordingly to the time of year. I was certainly glad of Allura and Coran's readiness to aid with the festivities, even if they were still slightly in the dark about the whole concept of Christmas. As for New Year, they had had a similar celebration on Altea and requested to incorporate some of Altea's traditions, to which I agreed wholeheartedly.

One of the MFE pilots, Rizavi, as I believe her name is, and one of the commanders, Curtis entered to decorate in the bridge.

"Good afternoon, sir," Curtis greeted me and the few others who were operating. "Do we have permission to put up some decorations?"

"Permission absolutely granted," I smiled. "And please, just call me Shiro." Curtis looked away bashfully for a moment and turned back with a nod, and he and Rizavi set to work. As they left, Curtis glanced quickly over and I gave him a quick nod in acknowledgement.

Around half an hour later, Pidge and Lance came blazing in, armed with strings of fairy lights and a cacophony of noise. By the time they were done in the bridge, it was festooned in sparkling lights, which, being painfully truthful, did not look awful.

They left soon after, Lance blowing me a kiss, which I shook my head at most disapprovingly. The silence in the bridge after the pair's departure was deafening. Even with bright ornaments and glimmering lights, morale was low and nobody in the bridge seemed to feel anything in the way of Christmas spirit.

Christmases with Adam and Keith in the years before Voltron had been bright, fun and most of all, filled with love. Cheesy, certainly, but enjoyable and warm. The kind of Christmas that made my heart go gooey inside. And Adam was gone, but he'd want me to move on. He'd want Keith to be happy, want us both to feel that again. And I'd need to find a way to help everyone feel it.

"Sam, do you mind taking control for a bit? I need to speak to Keith." I requested. Sam nodded, and I turned to leave and seek out Keith.

*

I found him in one of the training rooms, practicing sword work with James Griffin. I'd remembered them to be a problematic pair from before I left for the Kerberos mission. It was nice to see them getting along... somewhat.

"I hope you don't mind if I steal Keith for a tick," I spoke, ducking into the room. James looked up, the inclination of his head allowing me. I gestured to the door, and Keith locked his eyes with mine, agreeing to come outside.

"So Griffin, huh?" I teased him.

"It's not like that at all, actually. We're both working off our tempers."

"Okay," I chuckled. "Anyway, I came to speak with you because, well, morale is low, to say the least, and-"

"Shiro, what makes you think I'd know how to boost it? I'm the last person to ask." Keith grumbled.

"Not quite. You remember the Christmases you spent with Adam and me?" Keith gave a dismal nod. "Attitude, Kogane. Don't forget, you're below me in this situation. I am your captain." Keith straightened his back and shot me a glare. "I'm hoping to get everyone's spirits up. I was hoping you might have ideas, considering the number of Christmases and traditions that you've seen."

"Well, you always liked the drinking side of it," Keith grinned. "And I guess, in that, the parties." I allowed the idea to enter my conscious thoughts. Memories of dancing with Adam at Christmas parties surfaced, the Garrison formals, plucking up the courage to ask Adam and leaving Keith with a babysitter.

"That's it," I finally spoke. "We're going to have a traditional Garrison Christmas formal." Keith's eyes widened in realisation of what he'd said to make me come to the decision and began profusely disagreeing. "I'm going to talk to Sam and see what he thinks. Have a good time with Griffin," I winked. Keith glowered in reply, but returned to the training room regardless.

*

After conferring with Sam and Colleen, Veronica and Curtis, we'd come to the conclusion that a dance was definitely a good idea. Sam and Colleen were enthusiastic about the idea of Pidge 'putting herself out there!' and Veronica expressed her delight at the mere thought of Lance at a dance. Curtis seemed to just nod along with what the others had been saying, but a certain glint in his eyes told me he wanted it as much as they did, likely for different reasons.

So that was that. We began planning as we confined ourselves into the bridge for the entire evening, except Colleen.

"I'm going to check on my plants. Make sure they're okay," She stood to exit. "Veronica, I'm trusting you. Don't let these men plan everything themselves." She grinned. Veronica nodded reassuringly in reply.

*

After a full evening of planning, and a morning of checking everything was in order and deciding who would be on the team to decorate the large space in which the party would be held, make the playlists and food, we were done, and ready to announce it.


	4. Chapter 4 (Allura)

I spent the morning of the third day on board the Atlas explaining Altean customs to Hunk for what humans call 'New Year'. As I talked, Hunk cooked lunch for everybody on board. On Altea, we'd spend time cooking large meals and traditionally, we'd hang aeslade, a plant that surfaced from the ground as the deca-phoeb ended and a new one began. Some citizens made jewellery and crowns from the pale purple leaves and warm yellow flowers that bloomed on it. Some enthusiasts, such as Coran, would spend the last evening of the deca-phoeb playing Monsters and Mana.

Hunk found all of them intriguing and asked what sort of meals we made.

"We liked to use the eggs of a Waroth in cakes and fry them to serve with fish. But they went extinct along with Altea, I assume."

"Well, we can use chicken eggs. Those are the most common kind of egg we eat on Earth," Hunk suggested. At my expression, he elaborated. "Chickens are a kind of bird. They can't really fly but people keep them on farms. Their eggs probably won't do the Altean Waroths justice, but it's the closest we'll get."

"Thank you, Hunk," I smiled. "It means a lot that you're thinking of me and Coran."

"And it's the least I - or anyone - can do," He seemed to emit sunlight from his very being. "We all care about you. You deserve to be happy, just like everyone else." I felt tears sting my eyes. I threw my arms around Hunk and allowed the tears to fall and eventually cease.

"Thank you so much," I sniffled, letting the last of the tears disappear. "You deserve the whole universe and more, Hunk," He let go of me with a nod, and we moved on from the moment.

"So, on Altea, there wasn't anything like Christmas at all?" Hunk asked.

"No, the only celebration, other than birthdays, was the Turning of the Deca-Phoeb," I replied. "Which is why it was such a huge event. The idea that there's a new deca-phoeb, new space for forgiveness and redemption, I suppose."

"That's similar to the Earth idea of New Year," Hunk responded, continuing his cooking. It smelt delicious, but when did Hunk's cooking ever not smell delicious? I continued observing him. Even on Altea, I'd been hopeless at cooking, so I'd decided to try to learn something new as one of my 'New Year's resolutions'.

We continued going in peaceful quiet until a message over the loudspeaker interrupted us.

"Good afternoon to everybody on board," Shiro's voice rang through the entirety of the Atlas. "In two nights' time, we'll be hosting our very own Garrison Christmas formal, or, to put it simply, Christmas party, aboard the Atlas. Veronica McClain, Colleen Holt, Commander Sam Holt and Commander Curtis Garza and myself have been the leading planners. We're hoping for everyone to attend in fairly formal clothing. Thanks. Oh, wait - any questions, see me or any of the above listed people. Thanks."

Hunk and I shared a quick glance before breaking into grins. We knew that it'd be dates galore. I supposed the scramble for a date prior to a dance or party was an intergalactic thing. After our short exchange, we returned to our cooking. Hunk showed me how to use the knives properly and to make sure chicken was properly cooked all the way through before eating it, explain the dangers of a sickness that one would be vulnerable to if they ate undercooked chicken.

We were interrupted yet again by Lance entering the room quite loudly, a wide, excited grin across his face from eye to eye.

"Hey guys!" He beamed. "Hunk, Allura," He inclined his head at Hunk and me as our names rolled from his mouth. Though Lance was generally a fairly energetic person, this seemed... unnatural. "Allura." He turned to me.

"Lance, is there something you need?" I queried slightly awkwardly.

"Well- I was hoping to talk to you alone." His eyes darted around the kitchen.

"Okay," I wiped my hands on my apron and followed him into the hallway beyond the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"

"More than okay, Allura. I'm sure you heard the... thing... over the loudspeaker, and, well, I was wondering if you'd want to go to the dance with me?" His face flushed and he wrung his hands slightly as he spoke. I felt dreadful anticipating what I was about to say, but I couldn't ruin the amazing friendship I had with Lance. His beautiful personality and so-called charm were things I loved about him, just... not romantically.

"Lance. I-" I could hardly bring myself to decline to his pleading bright blue eyes, full of hope. "I'm sorry. I cherish you, so much. But I don't feel that way about you." I couldn't bring myself to meet those eyes as he replied.

"Oh. Okay. Sorry, I- I shouldn't have asked. I guess- I'll just go." He stammered, and fled before I could say a word. I turned back to the kitchen, conflicted, unsure of whether to pursue Lance or to go back to Hunk. My decision was made for me when Hunk came out to check on us.

"Allura? What happened?"

"Lance just asked me to be his date to the dance," I gulped. Hunk froze. His face passed through a series of emotions before I interrupted his reverie. "I said no."

"If you think that going with him won't be beneficial to either of you, it's probably for the best," Hunk reasoned. "You don't want to lie to him."

"I really don't. And I thought I'd made it clear over time that I wasn't interested." I mused.

"Sometimes Lance can get quite fixated on things. Especially with girls. That's why he presents himself as someone who's popular with women. Because it helps to boost his confidence. He's quite insecure right at his core."

"D- Did I do the right thing, then? Did I just hurt him more than I thought I did?" I asked nervously, guilt already beginning to gnaw at my gut.

"No, Allura. You did absolutely the right thing," Hunk reassured me. The slight weight immediately lifted. "If you'd agreed, then he might think you're more interested than you are, and then having to either lie or break it off would damage his self-esteem even more."

"Thank you, Hunk," I spoke softly. "I really don't know what I'd do without you as my friend."


	5. Chapter 5 (Pidge)

Lance returned from his 'errand', as he called it, in a manner that could only be described as one thing: bruised.

"What happened, Lance?" I asked. It seemed the only appropriate question to ask as he trudged dismally toward me.

"I thought about what you said, and after that announcement, decided I'd ask Allura to be my date," he smiled with a sort of misery that made my heart audibly break. "And, well, she said no. Said she'd never be interested in me like that." He slumped into a sofa.

"Lance, she said no because she didn't want to hurt you. You're important to her and she'd rather be honest than lie to you and hurt you, and herself, more than it would to decline. I- I'm sorry, Lance. I wish it had gone better." I sat beside him and tentatively hugged him. When he didn't recoil, I made it a proper hug, a real one that a best friend should give. But after saying that I'd wished it had gone better, I detected a tiny, hateful part of me that did not fully mean it.

He hugged me back, his long arms taking me into a sad, dull embrace.

"Thanks, Pidge." He sighed.

*

Once Lance had taken some time to cool off, and come to the settlement that he'd go to the dance as a 'single man', he expressed his desire to talk to Keith about what he should wear. We parted ways, and after some consideration, came to the conclusion that I should make some choices as to my attire for the evening. I took leave from the lounge and found Rizavi in the bedroom.

"Evening, Pidge," She greeted me with an airy wave.

"Hi," I acknowledged her with a smile. "I'm going to find something to wear for this party, but I don't know what I actually have, so I might have to improvise. I don't know about you."

"Yeah, I'm in a similar position. Has anyone asked you to be their date? Ryan asked me, and, well, I said yes. We're going as friends." Nadia pulled out a flowy lilac knee-length dress. I said nothing of the Lance/Allura incident.

"Well, nobody's asked me yet, and to be honest, I don't expect anyone to. But it's really nice for you that Ryan asked. And, just to say, that dress would look great on you," I grinned.

"Thanks," She twirled around the room in an overdramatic fashion before setting the dress onto her bed. "In terms of shoes, I don't own any very interesting pairs, but I'll find something." I nodded in agreement. It seemed everyone would be in similar positions.

I began rummaging through my drawers in order to find something suitable for a party. I wasn't ever enthusiastic about wearing gaudy clothes, and Mom would always scold me for my insubordination when we actually went clothes shopping, and those occasions were scarce anyhow. By the point where I'd almost lost my sanity, I trawled the very base of the drawer and managed to find something that seemed just about perfect. Nadia gasped with a seemingly knowing smirk and told me that that was exactly what I was searching for. I silently thanked Mom.

With Mom in my head, I followed my thoughts to her on-board garden. After bonding with the Green Lion, I'd discovered an appreciation for plants and nature that I'd never unearthed in myself before. Spending time around plants, I concluded, helped me clear my head and relax.

"Katie?" My mother's voice rang through the area, reverberating off the walls. I turned to face her.

"Mom! Hi!" I beamed cheerfully.

"Good evening, Katie," she tilted her head. "What do you think of the garden?" She gestured to the various blooms and vines surrounding us, and I couldn't help but follow the indication of the allure radiated by the greenery around us.

"It's beautiful, Mom. It really is. And there's something I'm wondering if you can help me with, heavily regarding your plants."

*

By the time Mom had perfected what I'd asked for her aid with, it was close to bedtime for everybody and so I decided to seek out the one person I hadn't properly spoken to in months.

"Pidge?" He asked as I tapped on the door of his room. "Pidge!" He ran forward to sweep me up into his arms.

"Matt!" I giggled, letting all prejudices slip away. "I'm loving the hair," I smirked playfully.

"You like it?" I nodded in reply. "So does she." He indicated someone else in the room as he spoke. I'd certainly seen her before, but not like this. She had been there while I was in the infirmary of the Garrison, recovering from Voltron's last battle with the Robeast.

"It's a pleasure to meet you properly, Pidge. And under better circumstances, too." She was stunning. Alien, certainly, but no less enticing than Allura. Potentially part Puigian, part... something else. Hair of a deeper blue than that of the sea, green facial markings and dark skin. Dark... scarred skin. Half of her face was rutted with uneven scarring. Without her armour, she seemed vulnerable, but with unquestionable physical strength. As my eyes travelled over her, I noted that she was missing half a leg, a prosthetic replacing what was missing.

"You- Hi," I glanced away momentarily before meeting her gaze. Her presence was mildly intimidating. "Hi. It's... N-7, right?"

"It is. And of course I know you. One of the Voltron Paladins. You don't need me to tell you how much pride Matt has for you." Her voice was profoundly gorgeous, low and like vocal silk nonetheless. My eyes met with the floor as I blushed, then looked to Matt, who had a ghost of a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"It's really nice to meet you, too," I regained my confidence after the strike that N-7's very existence had blown. Matt had truly struck gold with someone so gentle. "I just came to say goodnight. I've missed times like this."

"Me too, Pidge. I missed being your brother." Matt declared. I embraced him again and felt a second pair of arms join us. Matt kissed N-7's cheek before letting us go. I gave them both a quick salute before heading for the bedroom.

*

The commotion in our bedroom was audible long before it was visible.

"Nadia, do you not think it might have been more... prudent...to decline Lance's invitation?" Leifsdottir's cool, calculating voice pierced the silence in the hallway.

"I don't know, I would've liked to see them go as dates." Rizavi's voice came in reply.

"Please, Nadia, it would've hurt him worse to say yes. Neither of us would've been happy with it in the end," Allura pleaded.

I took the pause in which they shared a silence to infiltrate the discussion.

"Allura's right. Really. Nadia, trust us on this one," I shook my head, dismissing the subject entirely. Rizavi sighed, nodded vaguely, a thought passing across her face. "Let's just go to bed. It's late and I don't know about you, but I'm tired." Everybody agreed firmly and changed into pyjamas.

"Goodnight, guys," Nadia's voice came through the darkness. A garbled chorus of 'Night's filled the room, before restoring to peace. The last thought I had that evening was that Lance was slowly but surely moving on from Allura.


	6. Chapter 6 (Keith)

I had a moment with Griffin. Awkward as hell and uncomfortable, but a moment nonetheless. After training, we had to shower off the hot and sticky sweat. As we changed into pyjamas, all was well and good, until I tied my hair out of my eyes and caught him shooting me a look. A strange, not exactly mean, but not quite kind. Just... a look. I sort of half-smiled back and turned away quickly.

We walked side by side, aching and reeling, to the room, where we did not find Lance, Hunk or Kinkade. The room was deserted. James and I sat on our beds slightly awkwardly, unsure of whether to say anything or not. James spoke first.

"So... Is anyone going with you to the dance?"

"No," I grunted in reply. "You?"

"No. No one asked." He suddenly became very interested in a stain on his sheet.

"I'm sorry," I said, bewildered. Interactions were never my strong suit. And considering I was alone with someone I'd been positively angry at for simply existing only days ago, I felt far more awkward. He'd seemed to have changed for the better since my days as a cadet at the Garrison. And primary school. He was far less disrespectful and definitely had better hair now. But then again, who was I to judge hairstyles? Lance had made fun of my hair for years.

"It's fine," Griffin chuckled slightly. "You know, I've never really dated anyone at all,"

"Neither. But I guess I've always been a bit reclusive."

"You were pretty emo even before the Garrison," He added. I snorted.

"Not much changed, to be honest," I grinned. "Still a bit emo."

"Yeah?" I nodded in confirmation. "Well - er - I don't know if you'd want to or anything, but if you do, would you want to go to the dance together?" He asked. I froze in shock and mild horror. "I- oh God, I'm so sorry. I should go," Griffin stood to exit the room.

"No," I stopped him. "Wait." He turned, hurt flickering in his eyes like dying flames. "I'm willing to try. If you want to."

"You are?" I nodded. "Even after everything that happened when we were younger?"

"Yes. I'm willing. But I've never done anything like this before, so please don't overstep any boundaries," James smiled softly. "I'm going to go to bed now, don't know about you." I crossed the room and did something even I couldn't have predicted. I brushed my lips across his cheek.

"Talk about boundaries, huh?" James smirked as I climbed into bed and pulled out a book I'd brought with me. It was refreshing, finally being able to read books after only finding Altean texts in the Castle. My face was burning. I couldn't focus on the words. I kept replaying the exchange I'd just had in my head. I'd agreed to go to a dance with James Griffin. Not just anyone, but my supposed archenemy. If Lance didn't count. I guessed Shiro could just tell.

Hunk and Lance arrived around twenty minutes later, by which point James was in bed too.

"Wow. They're both in the same room, conscious, and yet not arguing?" Hunk said incredulously.

"Shock," Lance remarked. I was heavily debating asking Lance about how to go about the dance with James, considering I hated dancing. He'd asked me about clothes, so it seemed to make sense. I sat up. "Hey, Keith."

"Lance. Do you mind?" I hissed, furiously darting my eyes from him to the door. His ocean-blue eyes widened, and he got the message. "Thanks. Hunk, join us. Griffin, we'll be right back." We left James alone in the bedroom.

"What's up, Keith?" Hunk asked, his expression nervous.

"Well-" I struggled to even get the words out. "James asked me to the dance. And I said yes."

"What?!" Lance almost screeched.

"Exactly. That's what my brain's been doing for the past twenty-five minutes!"

"Why the  _ hell  _ would you agree to him?" Lance hissed.

"I- Well, we had a short conversation about... life and stuff, and then it just kind of... came out," I explained. "And I panicked a bit, but I said yes. And before you ask, I meant it. It's not like we're dating or anything. It's just a dance, right?"

"Holy quiznak. Keith can get more action than either of us, hey, Lance?" Hunk nudged Lance's arm with a playful grin, but Lance did not reflect it. His face only showed hurt. I gave him a quick glance, so as to ask if he was okay, but his eyes didn't meet mine.

We piled ourselves back into the bedroom and I gave James a short smile before climbing back into bed, and finally pulling my short ponytail out. Kinkade arrived around five minutes later, silently slipping into the room and changing noiselessly before climbing into bed. 

"Night," Hunk said through the silence. Only Lance said goodnight back.


	7. Chapter 7 (Pidge)

So the day finally arrived. The dance was to be that evening. On the Atlas, the days all seemed to blur together into one, but the calendar I'd kept in the bedroom told us it was the twenty-third of December. That morning, I met Lance, Hunk and Keith, who were sitting with Kinkade and Griffin. For Kinkade to be there was certainly understandable, but Griffin? I was definitely confused.

"Morning, guys," I consciously slid into the bench beside Lance, placing my plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. He gave me a soft smile as I tucked into my breakfast. The bacon was definitely dryer than I'd liked, so I dipped it into generous amounts of ketchup as I ate. Whoever had been in charge of loading the food onto the Atlas had certainly done a good job.

"Are you excited about the dance, Pidge?" Lance asked, turning to me.

"Not really. I'm not much of a wild partier," I declared, uncertainty lacing my voice, because truth be told, I'd never been to a party. I recoiled in on myself as Lance reached his hand to my cheek. "Wh-"

"You had a bit of ketchup." He grinned. I rolled my eyes in indignant dismissal. "No thanks for my heroism?" He pouted childishly.

"Thank you, Lance," I complied, feigning reluctance. He smirked in satisfaction and finished the last of his bacon. "Hungry, huh?" I asked. "Do you want the rest of my bacon? I'm done with it anyway,"

"Yes please," Lance reached over for my plate. Hunk glared at me, possibly in mild jealousy, but I couldn't help but sense that he was studying me intensely. As he realised I was taking notice of him, he looked away quickly to Keith.

And I saw why. Keith was staring deeply at Griffin across the table, who was busy laughing at something Leifsdottir had said. Deeply, but his eyes weren’t aglow with dislike; in fact, they were burning with a kind of interest and passion that I’d only ever seen once. In Lance’s eyes, the first time we met Allura. And felt it in Matt’s room when N-7 joined our hug. And sensed it in myself when I thought too much about Lance. 

I was stolen from my reverie when Allura called me from the end of the table to meet her in our bedroom. 

*

Allura was debating with herself as to what to wear to the party that evening and asked for my opinion on three different outfits. 

“Allura, you know me, I suck with this kind of thing,” I protested.

“Rizavi showed me what you’re wearing tonight and it’s evident that you don’t,” she countered, her eyes pleading slightly. I sighed, giving in.

“Fine, okay. But know this. My opinions  _ suck _ .” I grinned devilishly. Allura practically jumped into the air. We proceeded to spend the next hour and a half ruling out and making decisions for Allura’s final ensemble. 

*

The evening arrived much sooner than I’d’ve liked. Anticipation was mounting in the air and nobody seemed calm. Some of the crew disappeared into their rooms three hours prior to the party’s start, others somewhat later. I was certainly in the latter group. 

I changed fairly quickly after a shower, then knocked on the door of my parents’ room. Before my mother could even call her permission for me to be let in, I had entered and she was ready to help in a way I’d never imagined I’d ask her to. 

In fact, me asking anyone anything about what to wear or how to accessorise for anything was absolutely unheard of, especially during my time I’d spent as a cadet at the Garrison, pretending to be a boy. I’d attended one of the traditional formals in what I’d called a suit, but what was actually a pair of jeans with a blazer and button-up shirt. Not a suit, as Lance had not-so-kindly let me know. 

When I returned to the bedroom, Allura and Nadia marvelled over my attire, claiming I looked ‘wonderful’ and ‘should really dress up more often, Pidge!’. Leifsdottir stood to the side in a rather simple but pretty pale blue knee-length dress, observing the three of us as we engaged in light pre-dance conversation. 

We headed to the dance together as a four, and it was only through standing that I managed to almost trip on the misty grey tulle of my skirt. The dance was held in the largest of training rooms; more of a hall. As we arrived, I took in the bright ornaments settled about the place, the walls adorned with tacky plastic holly leaves and corners populated by bristly artificial Christmas trees. 

Hanging from the doorways, I spotted the mock mistletoe that Lance and I had tied and stuck unevenly with generous slews of tape. I recalled Lance and I subconsciously dancing around the doorways as we taped them up so as not to be caught beneath the leaves together. 

“Admiring our work, Pidge?” The one person I’d been thinking of appeared at my side, a lazy smirk across his face. “You’re looking… uncharacteristically nice,” he paused. I fiddled lightly with the crown of twisted flowers about my head. Mom had helped me pick out some cobalt blossoms of a winding vine; certainly an alien plant, and we’d fashioned them into a wreath to incorporate into my hair, which she’d helped me to tame. Unsure of what else to say, I simply said,

“Thanks.”

“I like the flowers. You picked my colour, hey?” His smirk broadened. 

“Not consciously,” I retorted, realising in myself that I had. Certainly without realising, but I’d done it nonetheless. 

“Well, looks like we’ve done a colour swap, because my shirt’s green.” I took his appearance in. He’d chosen a pair of simple black trousers and tucked in a shadowy green button-up shirt, a tie poorly secured around his neck. His classic murky-coloured jacket was tied about his waist. Classic Lance. To dress up in a semi-decent outfit, only to spoil it by tying a  _ jacket  _ around his waist. 

“Well, after tonight, you can have blue back, and I’ll be green again,” I grinned, warily gripping two handfuls of my skirt. As for shoes, almost everybody seemed to be in a pair of sneakers or boots, as when told to bring formal attire, had not accounted for shoes. 

“Sounds good. I’m going to ask  _ her _ ,” He indicated N-7, who was looking as stunning as ever, “if she wants to dance,” 

“Well, before you try anything, take the jacket off your waist,” He complied. “And besides, you may not want to. That’s Matt’s-” I rolled my eyes as Lance made his way across the dance floor where Matt stood with N-7, lightly bobbing along to the beat of the music that was playing through various speakers around the hall. Most of the songs I’d heard since entering must’ve been new songs, with the occasional old song popping up in between. Instead of waiting to watch Lance fail, I found Hunk standing beside the food table. 

“Hi, Pidge. Looking good,” he greeted me.

“Hey,” I picked at one of the canap és that he’d been eyeing. “Same to you,” I nibbled at it. “And thanks!” I said brightly. We watched Lance and exchanged glances as he trudged over to us, evidently having failed in asking N-7 to dance. He reached us as the song changed. 

“May I have this dance?” He semi-bowed to me, holding his hand out.

“Lance, you know I don’t dance. Go ask Rizavi or something,” I protested.

“Yeah you do! All you gotta do is  _ feel  _ the music. The beat, y’know?” He jiggled to the music as both Hunk and I cringed. “And besides, Rizavi and the other girls seem to be having a great time,” 

“Lance, I can’t,”

“If I can get Keith to dance with me,” he nodded to Keith, who was standing across the room, a drink in hand, chatting quietly to James. “Will  _ you _ dance with me?” 

“Good luck with that,” I scoffed, folding my arms, silently challenging him.

“Challenge accepted. See you on the dance floor,” Lance smirked before striding purposefully across the hall to where Keith was standing. 


	8. Interlude (Lance)

I sidled over to Keith and James, who were standing beside a Christmas tree, sipping cups of something that looked like mulled wine but smelled of raspberries. 

“Hey Lance,” Keith said, an eyebrow raised in mild confusion at my antics. “Do you need something?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I grinned. “Keith, may I take you away for a dance?” Keith glanced to James, who chuckled slightly at us, before shaking his head. 

“No way. Not happening. Lance, if you think for one  _ second  _ that I’ll dance with you, you have another thing coming.” Keith protested profusely. 

“Even if it’s for Pidge?” I leant closer to him to explain. “She said she’d dance with me if I could get you to dance, and to be honest, Pidge dancing is something we really want to see, let’s be real,” I glanced across to Pidge who was watching us with intent determination across her face.

Something seemed to flash in Keith’s eyes as I watched him change his mind. 

“Okay, okay, fine. I’ll dance with you, Lance,” Keith gave in and tentatively took my outstretched hand and I pulled him onto the dance floor. A song that must’ve gotten popular while we were up in space was playing over the speakers. Keith had his hair tied back into a low ponytail tied by a frayed length of red ribbon and was wearing a remarkably showy ensemble of a black jacket and deep burgundy trousers. 

I swung him around, somehow managing to stay in time with the music, and I noted the wild grin that was plastered across his face. If Griffin really wanted to get with Keith, he should’ve definitely asked him to dance, because no matter how resistant, he was enjoying himself. I stole a glance at Pidge, who was now observing us intently, a trace of an amused smile on her face. 

“Hey, Keith, do you mind? I was successful in my mission, so it’s now part two,” 

“Okay,” he chuckled. It was truly awe-inspiring to see Keith letting loose and genuinely having a good time. “See you,”

“Alright,” I gave a quick salute. “Oh, and Keith? You’re not too bad of a dancer. You should ask James to dance with you.” Keith shook his head with a roll of his eyes and turned back to Griffin, who had started talking with Leifsdottir. 


	9. Chapter 8 (Pidge)

Lance arrived at the snack table again after a very entertaining dance with Keith. He triumphantly held his hand out to me, and I had no choice but to take it.

"Enjoy," Hunk winked at me, eyebrows raised suggestively.

Lance's grasp on my hand was soft and light as he led me to the middle of the floor. As we reached the centre, another song began to play.

_Comin' over in my direction_

Lance's eyes lit up, a wild glimmer aglow.

"I know this song! It was around when my parents were kids... and it's awful, but so good. So good." I groaned slightly as he took my other hand.

_Turn every situation into heaven, yeah_

_Oh, you are my sunrise on the darkest day, got me feeling some kind of way_

_Make me wanna savour every moment_

"Lance, this is trash," I said as he twirled me around, my skirt flowing around like a lightly tinkling stream. I meant what I'd said. The whine in the singer's voice was enough to drive any sane person crazy. 

"I know," he murmured, watching me as I laughed. A singer began singing in Spanish, to which Lance sang along under his breath. "I understand these lyrics,"

"It's really cool," I said, slightly breathless, "That you can speak two languages,"

"Is it? It's just... second nature to me," Lance blew what I'd said off. "And besides, you understand computers. That's a language in itself,"

"I guess," I said, grinning at him.

*

A few songs had passed, by which point Keith and James had joined us amongst everybody else. Allura and Hunk were together and chatting while semi-dancing. I spotted Shiro conversing with the commander, Curtis, animatedly. N-7 had seemingly coaxed Matt onto the dance floor. Allura met my eyes and looked to Lance with a wide grin. In return, I rolled my eyes and turned back to him, getting back into the feel of the music as best I could. I stumbled over Lance's feet, earning a laugh from him and some people around us.

I'd never been any good at dancing, ever. I'd always trip or blunder at some point, be it with Matt, Mom, Bae Bae, just me or Lance. I sucked, to put it lightly.

Lance didn't seem to care too much for an elated grin had crept its way onto his face. I couldn't help but mirror him while he stepped around other people's legs and bopped his head with the music, not letting go of my hands. 

We'd danced through around four songs by that point, and it seemed Lance had no intention upon stopping, even with my evident and heavy lack of skill or ability.

James and Keith had departed the dance floor and were engaging in conversation with my parents, Shiro and Curtis had migrated to the dancefloor and it was an understatement to suggest that Curtis seemed flustered. Allura and Hunk were chatting with Rizavi, Kinkade and Leifsdottir, while Matt and N-7 remained dancing together harmoniously. I finally brought my eyes to meet Lance's, leaving me feeling painfully short, as always. He had a trace of a soft smile lingering on his face and it widened as I returned it.

"When you said you couldn't dance, you really meant it, huh?"

"I said that I _didn't_ dance," I flushed. "And besides, you're the one who asked me to dance, I'm fully aware of the fact that I'm awful,"

"Touche," I allowed him to pull me slightly closer in order to dodge somebody else. "But I have a total of zero regrets for that,"

"Thanks," and before I could let anything go any further, "I can't help but ask, are you flirting with _me_?"

"Maybe," Lance considered. "I mean, I'm here, dancing with one of the best-dressed people here and she's also been a pleasure to dance with, so... I'd say yes, I'm flirting with you, Pidge." I shook my head at how painfully _Lance_ that was. He continued dancing as if nothing had been said at all, while I remained in step, yet everything in my head had been thrown out of place and into panic mode. Lance was flirting. Normal. With _me,_ however, that was the part I could hardly cope with.

"Okay," I managed to say. My thoughts were all over the place. Spilling onto the mental floors, splattering over the walls and covering absolutely everything. Lance. His self-built appeal, his worries, his dreams, his unashamed charm, his _everything._

Quiznak.

It was at that moment I half-decided I was done with myself and everything in the universe. In all realities.

But then I was whisked back to my reality as the song faded and I unlocked my eyes from Lance's.

"All okay, Pidge? You seem unsettled," 

"Yeah," I sighed, unsure of what else to say. "Shall we get a drink?"

"Sure, let's go," He kept a tight hold on my right hand and we stepped around people like they were obstacles in a slalom and found ourselves at the drinks table, slightly breathless and flustered.

"It looks like the others have already gone to bed," I remarked, scanning the room. "Except them," Rizavi, Kinkade and Leifsdottir remained, engrossed in an animated conversation. Lance picked up his jacket, which had been left draped over a chair, and slung it over his arm.

"That's no problem. It's good to have some quality time, just us, right?"

"Sure," We arrived at the drinks table and poured ourselves some of... whatever it was that resided in the carafes on the table. "Let's get out of here, it's boiling."

"You're right, let's go," Lance replied, taking a casual sip of his drink. It was an odd teal in colour but smelt like both the ocean and jasmine in one. "It's not too bad," he smiled as he noticed my close inspection of it.

We made our way to the door, and right as we reached it, Lance's jacket slipped from his arm and onto the floor. I bent to retrieve it, and in doing so, spilt my drink down my top.

"Oh my god," I huffed irritably. "This just had to happen, didn't it?" Lance snickered at me, my shirt splattered with a yet darker spot of drink. "I'll wash it,"

"Hey Pidge! Look up!" Matt called from across the room, he and N-7 being a pair of the few people left. He was pointing to the top of the doorway, and apprehensively, Lance and I moved our gazes upwards.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note - I do not condone the existence of Despacito as a song but if it has to exist, then I'm going to use and mock it in my fanficiton.


	10. Interlude (Matt)

I have no regrets whatsoever. 

I am the ultimate wingman.

That was the best decision I ever made to date. 


	11. Chapter 8, Continued (Lance)

It was at that moment I decided that I loved Matt Holt. Suspended above Pidge and I was a sprig of fake mistletoe; more notably a cutting Pidge and I had stuck there. I wasn’t the type to get flustered or anything in a situation like this, especially when the other person involved was someone I was unsure of my feelings for. Sure, we were best friends, but I didn’t know if Pidge wanted to be something more. Neither was I.

I smirked at Pidge with a knowing look while she had quite possibly the most horrified and cheated expression I’d ever seen her bear. 

“It’s rule of law, right?”

“I object.” Pidge glowered.

“Come on, just a peck?” I tilted my head to meet her eyes. 

“Never say ‘peck’ again and I’ll consider it.”

“You have my word,” I promised earnestly. Pidge bowed her head in submission before inhaling sharply and facing me. 

“Fine, okay,”  She conceded. I studied her as her dappled face softened, her glasses reflecting the glint of the lights strung around the doorway, gemlike amber eyes relaxing as she looked up to me. 

I leant down, my lips meeting hers lightly as my eyes closed. Pidge was slightly on tiptoes, and I gripped her wrist gently. She didn’t flinch away. Her lips were chapped on my smooth ones, pushing as though she was frantically trying to find something. Somewhere inside me, something came undone. Before I knew it, however, she’d pulled away and was wiping her mouth rigorously with her arm.  I heard Matt’s whoop and snickered slightly. 

“Lance, I am so done with you,” Pidge shook her head, but a smile had materialised across her features. “Come on, let’s just go.” She flipped the bird at Matt, to which he only gave a sickly-sweet simpering grin. Pidge grabbed my arm and dragged me away down the corridor. “Can I talk to you? Seriously. I’m having a problem and I don’t know what to do,” 

“Sure you can,” Albeit mildly confused, I followed her. We walked into an empty side room, and she seated herself on one of the chairs. I took a seat across from her and watched as she seemed at a loss for words. She opened her mouth and closed it multiple times as if she was trying to catch flies.

“I know that this sounds… dumb,” Pidge began, then sighed. “But I guess I’ve kind of figured it out. Right now… all joking is aside. I’ve been working through some feelings. And, well,” she met my eyes. “I… I think that I…  _ feel  _ for you. Wait, no, I  _ have  _ feelings for you,” she paused. I stared, not entirely surprised. Pidge inhaled sharply, before continuing. “I mean, I know we’ve been friends for years and like, saved each others’ lives  _ countless  _ times and I don’t want that to be ruined, because I care about you, Lance, so much. But I can’t keep everything bottled up. 

“I mean, you probably would never reciprocate my feelings because I’m not attractive or funny or anything, and honestly probably just an embarrassment to you. I mean, you, with me? Who could love  _ this _ , right? I mean, sure I’m smart, and to be honest, I never even cared about being in a relationship, but then  _ you  _ came along and all I want is to matter to you, it seems. As soon as we’d recovered Matt and Dad, everything changed. I seemed almost directionless personally, but then you were there, all the time and you were in my head half the time. And I’m fully aware that you like- or at least  _ liked  _ Allura, and you might need time to move on, but-” 

“Shush, you’re fine. Relax,” I reached my hand out to her, indicating for her to take it. She complied, and I drew her up to stand. “Come here,” I hugged her and felt she was quaking slightly. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I need a little time to think about my own feelings, I guess, but it’s alright. I’m not mad or anything.” She tightened her embrace about my body, her head buried into my chest. Her shaking ceased, but her comforting hold did not. It was in that moment I did something I decidedly didn’t regret. I leaned my head down and gently kissed the top of her head. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.” 

It seemed Pidge was already half-asleep because as she walked alongside me, her heels dragged and her posture was slouched. Normally she’d walk around with purpose, directly, straight-backed and alert. This was definitely sleepy - or at least drained - Pidge. 

“Lance, I’m not tired. I have stuff to do anyway. I’ll get my laptop, but I’m staying up.” I gave her a ‘seriously?’ look. 

“You really should get some sleep. It’s not healthy to stay up all night. And besides, it’s almost-” I checked my watch. “It  _ is  _ Christmas Eve. You’ll be tired all day.” 

“ _ Fine _ ,” she conceded. “I’ll walk you?” Pidge yawned widely.

“Wh- Okay,” I grinned. We ambled drowsily towards the hallway in which the bedrooms were located and parted ways.


	12. Chapter 9 (Hunk)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm having some serious troubles with my laptop as of currently, so updates on AO3 might be delayed (depending on how reliable the site is on mobile, hopefully should be okay). If you don't want to miss anything, I'll definitely still be bale to update on Wattpad, where I have this book up under the username 'weareagoodteam' and the story has the same name.
> 
> I'm really sorry for any inconvenience/annoyance. I'll check with my phone a little later as to whether I can use AO3 on it.
> 
> Thank you for your time! (And thanks for reading my story!)

We woke up on Christmas Eve to Kinkade filming Lance wrestling Keith into a two-person Christmas jumper, one side of which had ‘Nice’ knitted in, with ‘sharpshooter’ scrawled underneath in permanent marker. The ‘Naughty’ side had received the same treatment, but with ‘and a terrible shot’. 

“I Sharpied it in before we left,” Lance explained, still struggling with Keith. 

“Lance, I’m not wearing your stupid sweater!” Keith whined, all the while fighting Lance off him. “I’m not even a bad shot!” The pair were doing some kind of awkward dance around the room, breathless and sweaty. “And before you say ‘it’s for Pidge’ again, I’m never letting you use that as an excuse again,” he seethed. From behind his camera, Kinkade’s expression became quite bemused.

“For Pidge? What do you mean?” Keith didn’t answer, as Lance had succeeded in getting him into the jumper. He stood, fuming beside Lance in the ‘Naughty and a terrible shot’ side of the jumper. 

“Pidge and Lance made a bargain. If Lance could get Keith to dance, Pidge would dance with him,” I explained. “Evidently, he succeeded, considering how he and Pidge were on the dancefloor for hours and how much later he arrived at the bedroom compared to everyone else.”

“Does it matter, Hunk?” Lance asked, his face red, either from his scrap with Keith or embarrassment. Probably both. “And why the hell is no one congratulating me? I got Keith to submit!” 

“Congratulations, Lance. You fucking  _ fought  _ me to wear a jumper,” Keith’s voice was bitter, his face twisted into an intense scowl. 

“And somehow, you didn’t win,” Lance grinned slyly. 

“I think it’s a pretty great jumper,” James piped up, finally saying something. “You  _ totally  _ rock it,” His eyes narrowed in amusement as he leant over the side of his bunk.

*

We went to breakfast, Lance feeling very triumphant, Keith extremely disgruntled. Lance dragged Keith to sit between Pidge and Kinkade, who was still armed with his camera. 

“So, uh, Lance and Pidge, Hunk,” Ryan leant over to see past Keith and catch Lance’s attention. They snapped their heads up, giving each other a quick uneasy glance before facing Ryan. “So the other day you guys said one of you would take me out in a lion? I mean, no pressure, but I’d love to if the offer’s still open,”

“Oh yeah! I can do it, day after tomorrow?” Lance piped up, leaning towards Kinkade, dragging Keith to some extent across the bench. 

“How did you sleep, Allura?” I asked, turning away from Lance, Keith and Kinkade and to Allura who sat, eyeing the butter suspiciously.

“Quite well, thanks. And you? May I also ask what this unusual substance is?” 

“I slept well too. And that’s butter. It’s made from milk,” I explained, spreading some on my toast. “You can use it for a lot of things, so you can spread it on toast, put it in cakes, all sorts of things. It’s pretty versatile,” I munched through my toast as I spoke.

“All of the Earth food is quite bland to anything you’d find on Altea,” Allura mused, sampling her toast and deciding it was adequate for consumption. 

“I bet,” I swallowed my toast, studying Lance and Pidge across the table, who were engaging in a hushed mumbled conversation, away from the prying eyes - and ears - of the others. Except me, it seemed. I stared at my friends, zoning out until Pidge cleared her throat. 

“All okay, Hunk? You seemed distracted,” 

“I’m fine, yeah. How was the dancing? Lance seemed pretty pleased with himself,” I taunted, eyeing Lance smartly. 

“It was… nice,” Pidge paused slightly awkwardly. “Yeah, it was good,” She said simply before changing the subject to nearby nebulae.

*

The day passed quickly, the buzz of Christmas in the air seemingly making hours crumble into mere minutes. The evening arrived, and everybody was on edge. So the day after was Christmas and everyone would be exchanging gifts, kissing under mistletoe and eating a dinner, which I’d volunteered to help prepare.  

I had to practically force Lance into bed as he complained that he wanted to see if Santa visited spaceships, if he could even play Santa for everyone on board, or if he could ‘ _ at least’  _ go add some decorations around the Atlas before it was actually Christmas. 

I shushed him profusely, told him that everything would be fine in the morning, and switched off the lights. The only light that remained in the room was a string of fairy lights above Kinkade’s bed. 


	13. Chapter 10 (Shiro)

Christmas Day rolled around. To say it was chaotic was the understatement of the century. Lance arrived at the bridge as soon as the morning alarms had sounded to ask why Santa hadn’t come and how I was going to compensate. I told him to go play in the lions (which, luckily, he didn’t take seriously). He ended up pestering Matt and N-7 about what he should give to everyone on board. I found out that he’d decided to ‘give the gift of his presence in hugs’ the hard way. 

Hunk was in the kitchen, Keith had been panicking for the whole morning, so I sent him to bed, the MFEs and Romelle were making a video using Kinkade’s camera and Pidge was flitting from room to room in a frantic search for her box of presents that she’d brought aboard. 

Allura and Coran were being shown the Christmas crackers by Sam (which they found extremely entertaining) and Colleen was working with Curtis, Veronica and Acxa to set tables. I continued directing in the bridge, preparing to shift to autopilot for the afternoon. 

*

The lunch seemed to be a grand affair; I’d been placed at a table with Curtis, Veronica, Axca, Sam and Colleen. The Paladins were seated with Coran, Matt and N-7 while the MFEs were with Romelle. Hunk assisted those in the kitchen to bring out the meal while I started a conversation at my table.

“So, Acxa, what’s the whole experience of Christmas been like for you?”

“It’s… an interesting Earth holiday,” she admitted, poking at a piece of gravy-soaked turkey. “Veronica explained some of it to me, but much of it makes little sense.” 

“It’s a bit confusing, yeah.” Veronica agreed, shovelling an entire roast potato into her mouth. 

“How have Katie and Matt been getting along? I’m sure it’s pleasant for them to be together for a slightly more prolonged length of time.” I asked, turning to Colleen and Sam. 

“Katie- or should I say Pidge? Either way, she’s very happy to be back. And  _ very _ grounded after this trip. Matt has been doing well, and his new significant other is a pleasure to have around,” Colleen evaluated, glancing over to the table where Pidge sat between Keith and Allura, Matt in between Lance and N-7. 

“And she seems very happy around the other cadet. Well, he  _ was  _ a cadet. His name’s Lance, if I’m not mistaken,” Sam added, a glint in his eye. 

“Yeah, that is Lance. They’ve become very good friends over the time in which we’ve been doing Voltron,” I confirmed. “So Curtis, how are you enjoying the lunch?” 

“It’s great,” I’d evidently caught him at an awkward time because he was chewing on something, his eyes wide as he faced me. I laughed softly as he broke into a grin and finished what he’d been eating. “Yeah, nice. The celebrations on board haven’t been as…” He searched for a word, waving a hand in the air. “ _ God-awful  _ as I expected.” I laughed at that, remembering the dance and decorating. 

I looked over to Keith, who I was overjoyed to see was having a good time. He was laughing at something Hunk had said, engaging with the Paladins as family, and not simply a team member. 

Pidge looked across the table to Lance with a slight apprehension, while fiddling with her hands but not her food. I noticed Allura nudge her, and considered any worries Pidge might have under control. 

*

Later, I joined the Paladins and Coran later on in a lounge in order to exchange gifts. I took a seat alongside Allura, Coran and Hunk on one of the sofas, while Keith, Lance and Pidge sat on the floor. It appeared Pidge had recovered her box of presents as a large cardboard box was sitting, emptied in the corner, and in her arms she clutched five haphazardly wrapped gifts. 

Lance had apparently ‘given everyone their gifts’, while Hunk had made trays of cookies for everyone. Keith had somehow acquired matching pin badges for everyone (“I just saw them and thought you guys might like them,”) and I had written journals to everyone, with tips on leading in ways their skillsets would manage well, personal letters to them and some god-awful doodles I’d drawn with the intention that they’d find them amusing. Pidge gave out varying gifts of things we ‘might find useful’, or simply… little objects of varying natures, evidently made by her. 

For Hunk, she’d made a portable multi-functional cooking utensil, while Lance received a stack of books she’d thought he’d like. Keith was given a handmade pocket knife with multiple blades of varying sharpness and length, and I got a temporary hair dye kit (“to restore your youth!” Pidge had insisted, a sly grin on her face). She gave Allura a hologram picture of all of us, and Coran was given little figures of each of us made from screws, bolts and various other mechanical parts. 

We talked off the heavy lunch, catching up and discussing Christmas and the success Voltron’s alliance had been proving. I was thrilled to find nobody seemed even slightly downhearted. 

*

We continued talking late into the night, by which point I declared it was long past their bedtimes and so sent them to bed. I did the same shortly after tidying behind them. As I wound my way through the Atlas, I spotted Curtis and Colleen talking, so as I passed them, I shot a quick wave with a smile. I was heavily relieved to return to my bedroom after a long but fruitful day.


	14. Chapter 11 (Keith)

The day after Christmas was far less hectic than the day prior. Breakfast had almost no turnout, but Hunk protested that everyone should’ve come, because ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’. The only members from the Paladins and MFEs who turned up were Hunk, Pidge, Romelle, James, Leifsdottir and me. Everybody else was sleeping or wasn’t hungry enough after the colossal lunch. 

James and I hadn’t really spoken since the party. I felt what seemed like a romantic spark between James and I was dwindling into something more platonic and peer-like than what I’d felt the day before the dance, and I mourned it. Feeling like I’d clicked with someone properly, like I could  _ be  _ with someone, as though someone would want  _ me.  _ A dejected, lonesome ‘emo kid’ with trust issues. And my short-lived clasp on that experience intrigued me. 

“James,” I nudged him. “Can we talk?” He nodded, his eyebrows peaked. We got up and ditched our trays, and I led him into the kitchen, which was empty aside from Pidge’s dog. 

“So…” I began, unsure of how to address him. “About us…”

“Us?” James asked, his lips pursing. 

“Yeah. What happened the night before the party and during the party. I… felt something. But over the past few days, I guess it’s gone away a bit? And I don’t know how I feel about that. But I suppose I’m asking about your stance on whether we should keep that up, or part ways, I guess, romantically.” I managed to say quite eloquently. I felt I shouldn’t pressure him into anything.

“Keith…” James started. “I don’t know what to say. You’re a great person. I was wrong about you at the start. I was a douche. And now, after a few years, I’m glad things settled well. But I don’t know if I want to pursue a romantic relationship or not, if you get me? Can we be sort of on hold? Until I’ve come to a decision? If you don’t want that, I understand.”

“I understand you. And I don’t mind if that’s what you want, but I also can’t confirm that I’ll want to come back to this in a few months’ time. As friends, sure, but I don’t know how I’ll feel… romantically… by then.” I evaluated. 

“Okay. We can come back to it, and see how things fall, I suppose. Friends?” He held his hand out.

“Of course.” I shook it graciously. We departed the kitchen and decided to pass into a training room. On the way we met Lance, Kinkade and Pidge. “Hey guys,” I gave a half-hearted smile. 

“Hey,” Pidge greeted us. “Lance is taking Kinkade out in Red, so I’m using the hangars being open as an opportunity to check up on Green. Where are you guys going?”

“Training room,” James announced.

“Seriously? You guys are training, like,  _ all the time _ ,” Lance said incredulously. “Shouldn’t you take a break sometimes?”

“No pain, no gain,” James insisted, holding his fist out to me, which was only met with befuddlement. I was unsure of what he was expected. “You… like…” He carefully took my wrist. “Okay, make a fist,” I did. “And bam! That’s a fist bump.” 

“Keith has always been a little slow to grasp concepts like that,” Lance informed him, probably thinking the same as me; back to the ‘I say Vol, you say Tron’ cheer he’d tried to establish when we first started being Paladins. 

“Yeah,” I confirmed sheepishly. “Can we just go? We’re holding you guys up anyway. See you later. And have a good time,” I pulled James away down the corridor and we turned into the training room.


	15. Chapter 12 (Lance)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: BLOOD

We bode Keith and Griffin farewell before ambling to the lion hangars. Pidge left us with a short salute and headed for Green, while Kinkade and I progressed to Red. 

“It’s beautiful,” Kinkade breathed. “The build is stunning,” he marvelled as we clambered in.

“You’ll need to buckle up, Red’s the fastest,” I informed him cockily. Kinkade turned to face me with a look of insane irritation.

“There are no seatbelts. Or  _ other seats,  _ for that matter,” he grumbled.

“Figure of speech,” I waved his remark off. “If you really want to sit down, you’re welcome to sit in my lap.” I smirked. 

“No thanks,” He gingerly gripped the back of the seat, his knuckles paling. 

“Okay, we’re off,” I commenced liftoff, and in seconds we were hundreds of metres from the Atlas, leaving everyone far behind. 

“She flies really smoothly,” Kinkade observed, his comfort in the lion increasing. 

“Yeah, when I’m flying slowly,” I taunted, jarring the control slightly so as to make Red jolt. Kinkade shot me a look that declared he regretted agreeing to go with me. “Sorry, okay, I’ll fly normally,” I apologised, turning back to him sincerely. “So, you and Rizavi, then?” 

“Nadia? What about her? And why is that relevant now?” 

“Well, we need to talk about  _ something, _ ” I insisted, waving my hand around in the air. “About her? Are you dating? What’s the status?” 

“We aren’t dating. We went to the dance as friends and that’s all there is to know.” Kinkade shut me down. “Besides, what’s happening with the small one? Pidge, is it?”

“Yeah, she’s Pidge. Technically Katie. When I first met her, she was disguised as a boy. And she’d made like these weird devices that could pick up radio chatter, like, really far away,”

“Crazy,” Kinkade uttered, his voice not fully invested in what he was saying. 

“And then we found Blue. You know I originally piloted Blue? That’s why I have the blue armour. The only people who haven’t ever changed lions are Hunk and Pidge. Hunk fits his lion really well, actually, thinking about it.” I sped up slightly, noting Kinkade’s Pidge has a weird plant-y connection with this planet Olkarion, which helped her bond with Green. She’s really into technology.” 

“Oh yeah?” Kinkade mumbled, trying to follow what I was saying. “You like her a lot,” 

“No! Well, I mean, as a friend, sure, but…” Kinkade didn’t seem to be paying attention any more. We’d neared an insignificant moon, its craters crumbling, yet the majority of the terrain remained undisturbed. “Hey, shall we go down there?” 

“Sure,” Kinkade agreed, his interest growing marginally.

We prepared to exit Red, helmets on and oxygen generators functioning. I gave Kinkade an awkward glance as he followed me to the point at which we could depart. We climbed from Red’s jaws and surveyed the land that surrounded us. Dust clouded about our feet as we stepped onto the surface. No signs of toxicity or danger made themselves known, so I deemed it safe.

“This is cool, right?” I exclaimed, a grin spreading across my features. 

“Uh… Yeah,” Kinkade acknowledged, testing the ground with his own boot, as though my rigorous checks hadn’t been enough. “It’s pretty cool.” 

“So, any ideas as to what we should do?” I tilted my head at him, hopping forwards, the lower gravity ensuring a slow descent. “I mean, we can’t exactly have a picnic or anything, but we could, like, leave a message for someone to find, or-” I halted my speech, because Kinkade’s gaze was no longer towards Red and me. His eyes had drifted to a shape nearing the moon at a worrying rate. 

“What the hell is that?” Those were the most words I’d heard him say all day. I squinted at it, and only one treacherous entity arose in my mind. The object, ever-nearing, was reminiscent of a pirates’ battle cruiser. 

“Quiznak,” I mumbled, for fear of a more obscene word. “I think I know exactly what that is, and it’s not good,” I faced him with a grave sense of mounting dread. “I think it’s pirates.” 

We hadn’t strayed too far from Red, but we’d have to move quickly if we wanted to avoid any conflict. I signalled to Kinkade to move and he nodded sharply in reply. To our sheer horror, as we reached Red, a tractor beam appeared seemingly from nowhere. Nowhere being another ship that had materialised from the opposite side of the cruiser. 

“What do we do now?” Kinkade queried, his eyes darting from me, to Red, to the two ships and back again. 

“I… don’t know.” I admitted desperately, stopping in my tracks. “But we need to do something, and fast,” 

“Send our a message,” Kinkade suggested. In fact, his ‘suggestion’ posed itself as more of an order, but I did as he said, having no superior ideas.

“Greetings, this is the Paladin of the Red Lion. We mean no harm. We’ll just leave you in peace, if that’s sufficient.” I broadcasted the message. It seemed the message was not deemed sufficient. Laser beams and energy pulses rained down on us, forcing us to scatter and sprint. Even in my haste, I managed to arrive at the conclusion that we’d need backup. And fast. I sent the standard distress signal to Voltron, hoping someone would receive it. It seemed the most logical thing to do, even if logic had never been an asset of mine. 

Once I’d sent the signal, I activated my jetpack and used the added speed to evade the shots. There was no point in using my bayard. Unless there happened to be any fighters on the ground that I hadn’t seen yet, I chose to not have to bear the extra weight until necessary. 

“Lance!” Amongst other garbled words, I caught Kinkade’s gruff voice over the surge of machines yelling. He was in trouble and unarmed. I found him quicker than expected; he was fending off multiple pirates at once. I hurriedly activated my bayard and fired at them from behind. This lost me my advantage of being unseen, but allowed Kinkade time to escape.

Two of them closed in on me, one armed with a fear-inducing sword, the other gripping a blaster that closely resembled a pistol. The latter was simple to wipe off my worries; a simple shot of the blaster just slightly too close for comfort and he scurried away to another pirate, presumably to ask for orders. The remaining pirate stood their ground, a scaly tail swishing irritably from side to side. I took a lunge with my fist instead of my blaster. If a shot were to hit at such a close range, it’d have likely resulted in my own injury. 

The pirate almost sniggered at my measly attempt of a punch.  _ Now  _ I saw why Keith spent so much of his time training. I threw yet another punch, dodging the slashes the pirate made with the sword, kicking, anything to refrain from being attacked too soon. I managed to land a proper hit directly in the face, making the tailed pirate recoil in pain, hissing like a maddened cat. I raised my shield in all hope of avoiding the sword. It appeared lethal just in her hand, so I couldn’t imagine how it would feel in the thigh or abdomen.

I made a kick, and that was the point at which I realised I had made a terrible mistake. I cried out in agony as my exposed side became a victim to the sharpened blade. The blood had already begun to seep through my bodysuit like water through a sponge. Kinkade shouted something, and I attempted to get up, resulting in a mutilated series of cries and wails. One of the pirates yelled a command to the others as I furiously tried to stand up.

My vision began to blacken at the edges, my side draining, blood splattering onto the ground, flowing steadily. I sensed a pair of arms softly scoop me up. 

“Lance, stay awake, okay? We need to save the lion… someone needs to get here soon… It’s going to be okay. Keep breathing, alright?” Kinkade spoke gently but a sort of terror trapped his voice that I’d rarely heard in anyone’s, especially not someone who spoke so little. “Stay here. Keep breathing, I need to fight them off,” Kinkade propped my limp figure up against a rock and departed, directing himself into a rainstorm without a coat. 


	16. Chapter 13 (Pidge)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: BLOOD

I’d almost finished Green’s checks when the call came. Lance had got himself into trouble. Again. While Lance doing dumb things seemed to be expected by that point, I couldn’t help but feel a nagging sensation tugging at my gut that told me  _ get there fast.  _

I used the transport time to change into my armour; I had to prepare for the worst. I knew everything with Green was in order, but as for Lance, I couldn’t be so sure. I piloted Green as fast as I could, using my cloaking device to ensure I went in undetected; allowing myself an advantage. Whatever might’ve attacked Lance didn’t know what was coming, and I wanted it to stay like that until the last possible second.

I arrived at a small moon which had been occupied and attacked by a huge cruiser and a lesser fighter jet. I easily took down the jet. The cruiser would require more effort. Strategically, I planned my course of action as to overpowering the cruiser. I came to the conclusion that using blasts from the mouth cannon to disengage the pilots should be enough to get close enough to use my jaw blade and take down the ship. 

“Atlas! Can you send out a couple of lions? Lance and Kinkade are in trouble! I’ve got the attackers under control, but I’ll need help,” I contacted the Atlas as I neared the ship.

“Okay, I’m sending the Paladins,” Shiro’s voice was laced with anxiety. “And I’m coming too,” he announced.

I put my plan into action, and sure enough, I was successful, only attracting three hits; not enough to cause any damage. The cruiser descended through the atmosphere painfully slowly. I took this as an opportunity to exit my lion and aid Kinkade in combat. I spotted him, landed as stealthily as possible and activated my bayard. He was fending off three pirates at once, fighting furiously while unarmed. 

I silently joined the fight to even out the odds. I took care of one with a pistol, then moved onto one wielding a blade that was already slathered with blood. I prayed it wasn’t Lance’s. My fears were confirmed when I shouted to Kinkade through the comm and he told me Lance had been injured, and badly. Worry spiked in my throat as though I’d swallowed a shard of glass. 

I did my best to ward off the pirate with the sword, but her strength surpassed my own and while I was small and more agile, her weapon was larger and more effective than mine. Just as I lunged forward so as to stun her with the blade of my bayard, her blade came into contact with my thigh, piercing my skin. I emitted an agonised shout; the wound wasn’t deep, but enough to impair my mobility for a couple of days. In a fit of pure rage, I stumbled blindly towards my attacker, swinging my bayard at her. She yelled, multiple hits received and registered, minor lacerations emerging through her armour and suit. I persisted; relentless in my anger and pain, she had hurt Lance. She had injured him, he could be dying, he could’ve died already, and it would be her and her cronies’ fault. 

“Don’t. Ever. Touch. My. Friends. Again.” I delivered a final blow. She dropped to the ground, whimpering slightly in pain. She’d cause no one any harm anytime soon after. My attention shifted. To Lance, to my leg, to the blood, the blood,  _ the blood.  _ Lance was dying. “Lance?” I yelled through the comm. “Lance, come in!” My voice was frantic, panicked. 

Finally I found him, propped against a rock. “Lance, oh my God,” His eyes were half-open, his face painted with a faint smile overpowered by pain. A huge gash in his side oozed blood, his bodysuit slashed and torn. 

“Pidge,” Lance’s voice wobbled. He sounded afraid, his tone shaky and weak. I didn’t need the scanner that I’d run to tell me that he’d lost enough blood - and was still losing - to be worried about his life. He pushed himself up on his hands, then groaned loudly and dropped back to the ground with an unsettling thud. “Pidge, it hurts,”

“I know,” I shuddered, wincing at the pain in my thigh as I crouched. “I know,” I shushed him, his slight whimpers crumbling my heart. “Just… keep breathing,” A lump formed in my throat. “It’s gonna be okay,” My hands shook as I took his, reassuring myself more than him. I pulled off my helmet, feeling the tears dragging themselves down my cheeks, cascading like a waterfall. I sensed as speckles of something rained down, my breathing hitching in my throat. I had to find a way to apply pressure to his wound. “Lance, look. It’s raining,” I tried to distract him from the pain. “You always missed the rain, right?” He nodded sluggishly in confirmation.

“Hey Pidge,” Lance croaked, tears glistening on his cheeks. I tried to shush him, tell him to save what little strength he had remaining. “Pidge,” he insisted. “You’re… You’re glowing,”

“What? Lance, you’re hurt. You’re probably just seeing things,” 

“I mean it,” His voice was almost entirely diminished, the feeble smile still on his face. I paused to properly take in both myself and him; he was right. Little flecks of a luminescent substance mottled our armour like freckles. It lit up his eyes, instilling hope through the suffering, or literally, light in the darkness. 

A massive convulsion of the ground informed us that the other lions had arrived. I desperately attempted to lift Lance’s drooped body, but his weight was overbearing on me. I knew it’d be safer for someone stronger to carry him, so I pulled my helmet back on and called into the comm.

“Hello? Shiro? Keith? Is anyone there? Please! Lance… he’s- he’s gonna die if we don’t get him help fast,” Tears reappeared where they’d earlier ceased, and I began to shake again. 

“Pidge? Relax, okay? We’re on our way, we’re coming. It’ll be okay,” Shiro tried to reassure me, evidently running from the panting over the comm. 

He arrived, Keith shortly behind. I clutched onto Lance, who was drifting from consciousness, the blood on my hands, on him, my leg, and pooling on the ground. Shiro took him, my grip on his frail body unfailing. 

I felt a pair of strong hands pull me back by the waist, and all rationality abandoned me. I  _ had  _ to be there. Lance needed help, not to be left alone to bleed out.

“Pidge, it’s okay… Shiro’s there. Every- Everything is gonna be okay,” Keith strengthened his grip on me and still I struggled. “Come on! We need you,” Keith pleaded. 

“K-Keith,” I stammered, my flailing faltering as I began to register my surroundings again. The pain in my thigh had evolved from a sharp agony to a dull throb, blood sticking to my skin and armour. 

“Come on, you have to fly back. I’m going to tow Red, but we need you,” Keith insisted, despair flooding into his voice. I nodded, saying nothing, but Keith’s stern grip relaxed and I limped alongside him to where Hunk and Allura were waiting, their postures static and intense. 

“Guys? Oh God, we need to get back. Now.” Hunk pointed out the obvious. Keith gave a nod and aided Shiro in carrying Lance into Black. 


	17. Chapter 14 (Shiro)

 

“Shiro, what do we do?” Allura’s speech was frantic over the comms as I held onto Lance while Keith seated himself in the cockpit. 

“Hunk, let the Atlas know we need medics, and fast. They must be ready by the time we arrive. Pidge, will your leg be okay until we stabilise Lance’s condition?”

“Copy that,” Hunk responded.

“I’ll be alright. The bleeding isn’t- it isn’t a lot, but I’ll need to be cleaned up.” Pidge confirmed her status, her voice shaky and fragile compared to her usual affirmative tone. 

Keith easily piloted Black to the Atlas, the other Lions shortly behind. The science and Altean magic behind the construction of the Lions allowed for Red’s consciousness to detect that there was something wrong and to follow the others. We reached the hangars and immediately departed, sprinting with as much haste as we could muster. My hands, both robotic and flesh, were sticky and coated in blood. It was all I could do to avoid injuring Lance further as I ran.

Lance had certainly lost consciousness, if he hadn’t before. His eyes were closed, his body unmoving. Keith sprinted ahead of me, half directing me to the onboard infirmary. Hunk and Kinkade were close behind, and Allura had hung back to help Pidge. 

As Keith skidded into the infirmary, I instantly laid Lance’s limp figure onto a gurney, and three medics with worry-ridden eyes pushed Keith and I back slightly so as to help Lance. Kinkade, Hunk, Allura and Pidge arrived, panting slightly. I swallowed, my throat as dry as sandpaper. 

“Will he be okay? I’m not aware of humans’ survival from extreme blood loss,” Allura asked, worry lacing her voice.

“We don’t know,” Hunk chewed on a fingernail, his eyes brimming with tears. Keith had wrapped his arm around Pidge, who was visibly shaking. 

“We don’t know,” I murmured. “All we can do is wait,”

“But… what if…” Pidge’s voice was broken, meek. “If something happened… his family…” 

“Katie, sit down. You’re injured and stressed, and you need to relax,” I tried to soothe her.

“How am I supposed to relax when my… best friend is literally dying?” She exploded, Keith tightening his grip on her to avoid any physical outburst. “Lance could die, Shiro!” 

“I know… I know.” 

“C’mon, sit down,” Keith muttered to her, helping her to walk to a bed. Pidge’s face was contorted with discomfort, as though she was suffering far more than she’d been letting on. Pidge continued grumbling at Keith as he made attempts to pacify her.

“Shiro? What are the medics’ names?” Hunk caught my attention with a tap on the shoulder. 

“Isabelle and Elizabeth, if my head doesn’t deceive me,” I sighed. 

“Okay,” Hunk smiled somewhat grimly. “Uh, Isabelle?” One of the medics, freckled with shoulder length brown hair and green eyes glanced up from Lance’s wound, which she had been cleaning. 

“Yeah?” 

“Will- Will he be okay?” 

“It’s too soon to say, but I’ll keep you informed. We’ve stabilised his condition, but I think the best thing you can do is get some sleep,” she suggested. 

“Okay. Thanks,” Hunk smiled softly at her, a slight glimmer in the general darkness of the gloom and worry that suffocated everyone in the room. 

“I think that’s a good idea,” I confirmed, bidding goodnight to Keith and Allura. “You two should get some rest.” The three of them left, Hunk glancing back at Pidge and me silently. I sat beside her on the bed and rubbed her back with my robotic hand. 

“He’ll be okay,”

“You can’t promise that, Shiro,” Pidge sniffled. “When I thought Matt was dead, it felt like my whole world was torn away from me. He was my best friend for my whole life and then he just left,”

“I know how that feels,” My eyes watered slightly at the thought of Adam, how I hadn’t had the chance to even say goodbye.

“And then I believed he was gone,” Pidge turned her face away from me. “I felt like I had been ripped into pieces. And I really,  _ really  _ don’t want to feel that again. I can’t imagine how it must’ve been for you, Shiro,”

“It hurts. It hurts a lot,” I admitted, rubbing the tears from my eyes. “But don’t worry about Lance. He’s a fighter, yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Pidge slumped over into my side, gripping my jacket tightly. I lightly hugged her, aware of the gash in her leg, the bleeding of which had stopped, but the wound still needing attending to. 

*

Pidge had slowly fallen asleep, and I was beginning to join her in the blissful realm of slumber. However, soon after, the other medic, Elizabeth, awoke us. 

“Uh, Shir- er, Captain, he’s stable. We’ve dressed the wound and cleaned it to decrease the risk of infection, but we can’t know how long he’ll be out for,” 

“Oh my- Thank God,” Pidge breathed. 

“And on that note, I’ll clean up that gash,” Elizabeth added with a grimace at Pidge’s bloody leg. 

“Is it okay for me to leave? I need to check in with everyone, and should let the Holts know that Pidge and Lance are okay,” I inclined my head towards the door. 

“Yeah, that’s fine. We’ll sort you out, Pidge,” Elizabeth grinned awkwardly. 


	18. Chapter 15 (Pidge)

I winced as Elizabeth clumsily plucked a set of bandages and various other medical dressing items from a trolley. She wandered over and pushed her tortoiseshell glasses up her nose with an air of knowledge, not unlike I had done while posing as ‘Pidge Gunderson’, simply to create a facade that I wasn’t as weak as meets the eye. To my dismay, it eventually became habitual, something I couldn’t help doing, whether the glasses needed to be pushed up or not.

It came as a shock that Elizabeth (or ‘Ellie’ as the other medic, who I’d come to know as Izzy, had called her) was fairly careful, and certainly more light-fingered than I’d anticipated.

“Sorry if I’m hurting you,” she spoke.

“I think it’s kind of a given,” I nearly hissed like an angered cat as gauze was pressed to the wound. “Considering it’s a large open wound, freshly disinfected,”

“I don’t need you, Paladin of Voltron you may be, to tell me that,” She chuckled. If it hadn’t been for the lighthearted tone she’d used, I would have felt almost as though she was scolding me.

“Fair enough,” As she was, I tried to keep my tone colloquial and breathe through the pain.

“Izzy,” She finally called out. “Where’s the tape? It’s not on the trolley and I need to secure the bandaging,”

“Hang on,” Izzy’s voice cracked slightly when it trailed from the med bay’s office. “Got it!” She emerged with a roll of pinkish medical tape and passed it to Ellie, who remained crouched awkwardly in front of me. “I think it would be… wise… if you stayed the night here,” Izzy proposed. “To ensure that there’s no further risk of infection. Just to be safe, more than anything,”

“I agree,” Ellie said, nodding, and standing back to admire her work. The wrapping and dressing was snug; if not a little haphazard. It would be fine, I decided, and nodded at the pair of them, hoping more than anything for them to leave me in peace.

It seemed that they read my mind, as they turned to their office in light conversation. I stood, flinching slightly at the pain that pulsated through my leg, but nonetheless, pulled off as much of my armour as possible. By the time I was done, I was only in my dark undersuit, unable to remove it for fear of my dignity. I placed myself onto the bed beside Lance’s and sat, catching my breath for a moment, turning over the day’s events in my head.

Breakfast (And the sheer lack of people that attended it), Lance and Kinkade leaving, James and Keith training and me just so perfectly conveniently following Lance and Ryan to the hangars to work on amendments for Green. To think, if I hadn’t been there, we might not have reached them soon enough. A heavy, heavy case of ‘right place at the right time’.

A slight rustle from Lance dragged me from my reverie and I snapped my head up to check on him. He emitted a mild groan but continued sleeping. I was unsure of whether I’d be able to handle watching him suffer as he did; the sheer pain he’d gone through. I lay down on the bed, atop the covers, hoping to sleep. The gods were apparently not shining down on me as the door to the med bay slid open with a soft  _whoosh_.

“Pidge?” The unmistakable voice of my older brother pierced the otherwise uncomfortable silence. “Oh, you’re awake,”

“Yeah,” I sighed as I propped myself up on the pillows. “I can’t sleep, and quite frankly, I don’t really want to,”

“Shiro told me about what happened. Said you seemed kinda shaken.”

“I was. Still am, a bit. I was- we all were really scared for him, Matt,” I said, my gaze drifting to Lance, whose face expressed mild discomfort as he slept. “I still kind of am, but that’s probably just the shock talking, in all honesty,”

“I understand,” Matt nodded. “But, God forbid, I drift to a lighter subject, what’s going on between you?” He inquired, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

“There’s nothing! I mean it.” I denied. “We’re friends, that’s all there is to it,”

“That kiss on the night of the party told me otherwise,” Matt grinned.

“No! You initiated that! I didn’t- I wasn’t… Matt, I didn’t  _want_ to kiss Lance!” I retorted, knowing I was telling only half a lie.

“Sure you didn’t,” Matt insisted, his hair flipping dramatically as he turned to face me.

“Look, I’m just  _tired,_ okay? I’ve had one heck of a day and I don’t need you pestering me,”

“You love me,” He smirked. “Say it,”

“What?”

“Say you love me!” Matt grinned, standing up from my bed. I glowered, knowing it was the only way he’d leave. He’d pulled it before, when I was younger and only entering puberty - more commonly known as the ‘moody teenager phase’.

“I love you, Matt. And- for the record, I missed you. I’m glad we can be a family again,”

“Me too, Katie,” His smile softened as he turned and left me alone with a sleeping Lance and an endless flurry of thoughts streaming through my ever-busy head.

Unfortunately, many of those thoughts seemed to stem  _from_  Lance. When Matt had said I’d wanted to kiss Lance, he’d certainly been half-right. My feelings for Lance only became noticeable fairly recently, perhaps a few months before the Atlas journey.

Perhaps just a few moments  _after_  he’d sprung forward to protect me on the pirate cruiser.  _Don’t you touch her._ The words had been echoing in my head ever since, a constant tinny buzzing noise at the back of my thoughts at best, or a full blown marching band, drumming its way across the main focus of my mind at worst. At those moments, the dreaded marching band moments, I felt as though someone could have written ‘I HAVE FEELINGS FOR LANCE MCCLAIN’ across my forehead and my truer emotions would have still been more visible. I wasn’t about to go full love-sick puppy over him, but some kind of sign would’ve been nice.

And being ‘not really Lance’s type’ wasn’t the worst thing. I knew he wasn’t so shallow as to  _not_ like someone just because they don’t look or act a certain way. We’d been through hell together - all the way from the Garrison, out to space, fought for our planet, for the universe... and back again. And if ever I were to find that he’d never feel the way I did about him, I’d simply have to move on. Forget about what I felt.

Yet the constant nagging sensation in my gut forcefully reminded me that I was a person, not a computer. I couldn’t just remove things from my brain. I just had to sit it through and see what happened.

After the explosions that were lit like figurative dynamite in my stomach during the kiss, the indicators couldn’t have been more obvious. I had known I liked Lance romantically long before it, but that was the sealing deal. The final confirmation. It was at that point I knew that I was hopelessly head-over-heels for him.

And I’d never been the type to  _like_ boys, or girls, or  _anyone_  for that matter, but this was a whole new level. I’d had the passing crush, definitely, but  _never_  had I ever felt as strongly for a person who wasn’t family.

I couldn’t help but wish that the kiss had been different; the situation wasn’t right and it had jarred the perfect fantasy I’d built up around the prospect of a relationship with Lance. I hadn’t even gone so far as to visualise a first kiss, so when Matt pointed out the pathetic imitation of mistletoe above us, I panicked. I let it happen, and I both regretted it and adored it.

“Pidge?” A crackling, weak voice tore me away from my thoughts. Lance was awake.

“Lance. Lance, hey,” The reality set in and I hushed my voice so as not to disturb anyone, nor his likely pounding head.

“Pidge… what happened?”

“A lot,” I almost grinned. I pushed myself from my bed, the pain not quite consuming my leg and hobbled over to his bed. “Can I…?”

“Of course, sure you can,” He shuffled over, wincing slightly to make room for me to sit. I took a tentative seat beside him before looking at him properly. His face was pale in comparison to the normal warm caramel tone, and his hair was caked in dirt and dust. And for the first time, I noticed that his eyes looked  _tired._ As though he’d seen far too much of the universe and its sickening qualities already. It was safe to assume he had. We all had.

“You took Kinkade out in Red… and I guess you came into the path of some pirates. They attacked while you weren’t in the lion, but you managed to get a distress call out. I heard and got there as soon as I could. In Green, I used the cloaking to ensure-”

“That’s not what I mean. What  _happened_?”

“That’s what I was telling you!” I responded, his tone confusing me more than anything.

“No, but why are we here? If you were in your lion, why are  _you_ here?” Lance queried, his tone overly accusatory. His eyes travelled to the bandaging smothering the tear in the leg of my suit.

“Because, if you’d have let me finish, you were already taken out, and Kinkade couldn’t handle them all unarmed. When I found you, you were pretty much half-dead,” I mused. “Before that, though, I had some pretty great moments of badassery, if I do say so myself. I went hand-to-hand with the one that got you, and she did this,” I gestured at the bandaging. “Anyway, I straight up took her out,”

“That's some real badassery, Pidge,” Lance said, somewhat half-heartedly, potentially from his own fatigue. “What… what time is it?”

I peered at the clock across the room, rubbing my eyes with dirty hands.

“About four-thirty in the afternoon. I think we can expect more visitors, to be honest. Matt came just before you woke up,” I flushed, the conversation I’d had with my brother resurfacing in my mind like a fresh wound.

“Agh, I just missed him,” Lance grinned.

“By a fraction of an inch,” I responded, mirroring his face. “In all seriousness,” I continued, brushing my hair from my eyes. “How are you? Are you okay?”

“It hurts,” Lance admitted, luckily in a tone that differed far from the one he’d used on the tiny moon. “It hurts a lot,” He elaborated slightly.

“I bet,” I grinned. “You’ll definitely have a cool scar from it, though. It’d rival Keith’s  _super rugged_ facial scar,”

“Yeah, a  _super rugged_ abdominal scar. I’ll have to get some crop tops,” He joked.

“Knowing you, that doesn’t even seem unlikely,” I mused, turning a little more to face him. His eyes were weak and sleepy, while his face held an almost complete sense of peace and relaxation. Potentially completely, had the slash through his abdomen not been there.

“I didn’t thank you,” His voice turned serious, almost stony. “If you hadn’t come, Kinkade and I… We’d be dead.”

“That’s what friends do, though, right? We save each others’ asses all the time. It was only my duty,” I tried to keep the conversation light, rather than letting it flip to pain and  _real_ talk.  _Don’t you touch her, don’t you touch her, don’t ever touch my friends again._ My brain rattled with all the times we’d saved one another from certain death.

“But still,” Lance persisted. “Thank you,” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Knight in shining armour,” I could’ve winced at that.

“Okay, too much,” I chuckled, feeling a smile finally reach my eyes. 


	19. Chapter 16 (Lance)

When Pidge smiled, it felt like a blessing. Like a secret you were being let in on. Not that Pidge smiling was a rare occasion, but her smiles had always felt intimate. At the Garrison, over three years ago, when she’d been pretending to be a boy (I still was not over that fact), she rarely smiled. 

I sat (lay?) in silence for a solid ten seconds before I realised I’d been staring. Either the inevitable painkillers coursing through my body were making me vacant, or Pidge was just ~ _ that~  _ mesmerising. 

“Lance,” Pidge waved her hand in front of my face. She’d tilted her head to meet my eye level, which was certainly… odd, as I’d normally be the one to be bending down to look at her. “Hello..?” 

“Hi, Pidge, hi,” I said, almost wearily. Her eyes were glossy, gem-like as her eyebrows raised slightly. 

“Are you tired? I can just… leave you alone, if you want,” She pressed her hands into the mattress to push herself up.

“No!” I grabbed her wrist. “No, it’s fine,” I softened my tone and grip on her arm as she sat down again, albeit alarmed and tentative. “Sorry, I’m just… Bored,” I decided ‘bored’ would be an accurate description of just lying there, unable to sleep or do anything. And Pidge was someone I was close to, someone I was completely comfortable around, so why  _ wouldn’t  _ I want to talk to her? 

She’d always drawn me in, from the day we met. She was fiery and unafraid right from the start. Her way of doing things, the ridiculous-sounding science-y words and mannerisms were… enigmatic. She’d always been a force to reckoned with. Awe-inspiring and clever, all the while keeping her down-to-earth (excuse the pun) and bright personality. 

“So…” Pidge started, slightly awkwardly. “Anything on your mind?” _ Just how you’re completely mesmerising. _

“Not really. I’m just… thinking,” I quickly glanced around the infirmary. 

“Oh yeah?” Pidge puffed out her cheeks a little. “What about?”  _ It’s you, Pidge.  _

“Allura,” I blurted, unsure of what else to say. It had almost become a default in the time I’d spent liking her. Pidge looked as though I’d just slapped her. I realised my mistake as soon as I saw the hurt in her eyes. “And, well, how well her and Hunk get along,” I tried to cover my mistake.  

“Yeah,” Pidge sighed, not meeting my eyes. “Hunk really gets along with everyone. That’s what I said in that weird game show. I stand by that,” she nodded contemplatively. 

“I mean, you aren’t wrong,” I gave her a silly look. “Hunk is great,” 

“I’m really glad I met him,” Pidge said softly, pulling at a loose thread on the bed sheet. “And you,” she added. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve been found out - or just kicked out - at the Garrison if it weren’t for you. I never thanked you for telling me to keep my mouth shut,”

“It’s no problem,” I grinned, watching her face light up as I allowed some of my traditional fake arrogance that she claimed to hate slip in. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble,”

“I’m pretty sure you were the one getting us into trouble,” Pidge hit my arm playfully, but the jolt was enough to cause some pain, and, naturally, I winced. “Oh! Sorry. I forgot- What painkillers are you on?”

“It’s morphine,” A medic, freckled, green-eyed and with shoulder length hair seemed to appear behind Pidge, who’d jumped so violently I was afraid she’d fall onto the floor. 

“Holy sh…” Pidge cursed under her breath. “Izzy, how the..? You came out of nowhere,”

“Yeah, I’m like some all-knowing being. All medics are,” She said it with such sincerity I embarrassingly wondered if it was true. “Like, if I wanted to, I could totally tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow,” 

“Well, what’s going to happen tomorrow, then?” Pidge asked disbelievingly. 

“That… would ruin the fun of it,” Izzy smirked. “Anyway, the main reason I came over was to have a look at your vital stuff,” 

“Right,” I nodded slowly as Izzy began to check over screens and sheets. Pidge gave me a look. One that sort of replicated the feeling of a reassuring squeeze of the hand. 

“He’s doing pretty good. He should be up and moving by… the day after tomorrow. The medical technology on this ship is amazing,” She admitted smugly.

“Really?” Pidge asked, eyes wide with fascination. “I’ll have to check it out,” 

“Yeah,” Izzy continued with her reading. “The wound is healing steadily, and regular doses of painkillers will help reduce, well, the pain. Obviously,” 

“And what about Pidge?” I asked, giving Pidge a fleeting smile. She seemed almost surprised to have been asked about. 

“As she can already move around without help, we’re not going to monitor anything. If she thinks she needs to take something for pain, she can have it. As we said before, she’s going to stay the night in the med bay in case of any complications,” 

“Okay,” Pidge nodded. “I mean, it hurts a bit, but I’ll be fine,” 

“Alright,” Izzy said with a tone of finality. “That’s all I… really came here to do… so… I’ll just- Yep, I’ll just be off…” she gave Pidge and I repeated glances before turning back to the office. 

“Don’t you think the medics are a bit… odd?” Pidge queried, her nose wrinkling slightly. 

”I like them,” I tilted my head. “They’re funny.”

“Fair,” she said, eyeing the heart rate monitor that stood beside my bed. “ I wonder how everyone else is, though. Matt came in earlier, but I haven’t heard from anyone else,” she changed the subject. 

“It’s a shame I missed him. I haven’t really had the chance to talk with him,” 

“I think he’d like you,” Pidge nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. “He’s quite similar to you, I guess,” 

“But I’m  _ way  _ more attractive cool, and funny, right?” 

“You could say that,” she gave a small snort of laughter - while short, it made her nose wrinkle and her face gain some lost youth from the years of war we’d been thrown into. “Speaking of… you, how are you? Are you, beside the fact you nearly died, okay?”

“I mean, mentally, I feel fine,” I nodded. “I mean, this hurts like I’ve been whacked with a sack of quantum magnetic bricks, but-”

“That is  _ not  _ a thing,” she scoffed, pushing her glasses up her nose. It seemed to be a quirk of hers. After finding out the glasses were fake, I asked as to why she still wore them, to which she explained that it helped her ‘assert dominance over the dumbasses’, which made us both laugh at the time. It made me wonder if I was a dumbass. 

“It was just an expression!” 

“Still not a thing,” She insisted, adamant. I huffed dramatically in response. Pidge merely pursed her lips. “Admit I’m right,” she folded her arms.

“I know you are,” I rolled my eyes in the way I would when Pidge was right about something (and I was wrong). “You always are,” Needless to say, it happened a lot.

“Not always,” Pidge admitted. “There was that time when-”

“Okay, okay, you don’t need to go into all the, like, three times you’ve ever been wrong about something,” I chuckled. 

Pidge grinned, glancing at the clock across the room. There were dark smudges under her eyes from where she’d lost sleep and a heavy smattering of freckles across her cheeks which I’d noticed, but never really studied before. 

“I wonder how Allura is,” Pidge speculated out loud. “I didn’t really see her when we had to go save you and Kinkade,” Her body was almost slouched, relaxed, and she sighed before allowing a small smile to cross her features. 

“I’m sure she’s fine,” I rolled out my lip. “What makes her cross your mind?”

“I don’t know,” Pidge swept some hair from her eyes. “It doesn’t really matter too much, I guess. I’m sure she’s okay,” she finalised. I shuffled a little in my position, noticing that my armour had been growing increasingly uncomfortable in the time I’d been awake. My neck had been stuck in an awkward position - and, let’s be real - it’s not comfortable to do anything in armour, let alone lie down. 

“Pidge?” 

“Mm?” 

“Would you mind- I mean, I’d totally do it myself, but I’m…” I searched for a word.

“Incapacitated?” She finished for me.

“Yeah, that. Will you help me get this off?” I gestured to my armour. She paused for a moment, apparently taken aback by my request. 

“Sure,” She blinked. “Yeah, okay. Hang on, sit up a bit,” I complied, flinching as I moved just a little too much. Pidge reached around me to take one side of the chest armour. “Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but put your hands up,” I grimaced slightly as she leant forward to pull it off. “Sorry if I’m hurting you,”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” I grinned dopily. “The  _ morphine  _ is taking the brunt of it,” Pidge only scoffed as she managed to pull the chestplate off, her face ending up dangerously close to mine, so much that I’d be able to count her generous lashings of freckles, or properly name the colour of her eyes if I were given enough time. Or even lean forward, just a little, to-

Her eyes widened, possibly having the same resurfaced memories of the night of the party. Namely, the night she confessed that she ‘felt for me’ and I decided I was still figuring things out. I was almost certain I had figured it out by this point.

“Well, the worst of that is over now. Just the leg… pieces. Do you know what they’re called? I never studied armour,” she admitted, turning away, likely to hide the flush that had spread across her cheeks. 

“I don’t know either,” I grinned at her, hoping she’d face me. She tore her gaze from the floor, where she’d placed my filthy chestplate and met my eyes. “Common ground, then, I guess,”

“Yeah,” Pidge chuckled softly, her hands moving to remove the ‘leg bits’ (I later found out they were called ‘greaves’). She made light work of it, casting each part aside as she managed. I lay kind of awkwardly, unable to help her so slipping a mock-cocky laugh or remark in as she finished. 

“I made a total meal of that,” she glared at the various components of armour that lay cast aside on the floor. 

“It’s fine,” I waved my hand in front of her. “And relax, your shoulders are all tensed up,” She did, sitting back, her posture loosening like a violin string that had been loosened too quickly. She faced me, gratitude in the smile she gave. “I haven’t said that in a really long time,” I admitted quietly.

“You always used to tell me to do that back in the Garrison,” Pidge reminisced, a soft smile passing her face like a ray of light through a tree in a forest at sunset. “You said I looked like a pissed off gremlin,” 

“Way to ruin the mood,” I scowled impishly, folding my arms.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Pidge rolled her eyes. “It was nice. It  _ is  _ nice.” 

“I guess everyone’s shoulders were too tensed up when we were fighting the Galra, but nobody - not even me, with my  _ sharpshooter  _ eyes - noticed,”

“Well, we have all the time in the world now,” There it was again - that gentle pull at the corners of her lips, a flash of sunset. 

*

We talked for an hour like that; in peaceful company, in quiet harmony, our words and conversations tangling like two ropes and winding softly as the night came and no noise came from the hallway beyond the doors of the med bay. 

It was only then I noticed Pidge had become altogether quite drowsy; her eyes were drooping, her shoulders sagging like deflated pool toys. Her day had been long, and she’d had no rest, unlike myself. 

“Pidge?”

“Mm?” She yawned, rubbing her cheek with the palm of her hand.

“Lie down,” She almost moved to make back for her bed, but I moved up so as to make space for her; not that there needed to be much, considering her small frame. She tentatively lay beside me, but loosened as she saw I was unfazed by her.

*

We’d been lying in the dark for around half an hour before I couldn’t bear the awful silence. I could feel that Pidge was still awake as her breathing was irregular and she hadn’t removed her glasses. 

“Pidge ?” 

“Lance,” She lifted her head to face me - not that she could see much through the darkness that engulfed the med bay. 

“On the night of the party,” I began, waiting for a reaction, but receiving nothing. I took it as permission to continue. “You said a lot of stuff… and… well, it didn’t make me feel anything  _ new _ , I guess. But it made me realise a lot,” I paused again, allowing time for both Pidge and me to process what I was actually saying. “I think I’ve had similar feelings to yours for a while now. I guess being less intellectually gifted makes life-shattering realisations take longer to set in,” I smiled at her through the thick cloak of dark as she snorted slightly. 

“And I tried to pass everything I felt for you off as a kind of older-brother type thing, or ‘we’re-all-really-protective-and-caring-of-Pidge’ kind of deal, but I’m pretty sure nobody else wants to hug you, like, all the time, and feels ridiculously happy when it’s them that makes you smile, and just wants to be around you all the time and  _ never _ gets tired of you,” I could picture the ‘ _ No one gets tired of me!’  _ retort in my head, but continued nonetheless. “You’re amazing, Pidge. Ridiculously clever, and you’re really funny, and after a few weeks in the Garrison, I felt we had a kind of connection. I’m never uncomfortable around you. You’re irreplaceable. I guess what I’m trying to say is… I really, _ really  _ like you, and I guess, if you want, I’d like to have a more official relationship?” 

“Lance…” Pidge said, her voice crackly and tired like a dying fire. “At this moment in time, and it might just be the tiredness making me soppy, but I don’t think there’s anything I want more than that,” she comfortably lay a hand on my chest.

“Can we not rush into anything too fast, though? Just pace ourselves. We have all the time in the world,” Pidge whispered up to me. I wrapped my arm around her back and her entire body seemed to relax, sinking into the bed.

“Of course,” I closed my eyes. “All the time in the world,” 

“Goodnight, Lance,” 

“Night, Pidge.”

 


	20. Chapter 17 (Allura)

In the morning, I entered the infirmary in order to check on Pidge and Lance. Needless to say, I was taken aback to see Pidge comfortably cuddled up against Lance. Unless I was mistaken, it was not human custom to do so unless the two were in a romantic relationship. 

They were silent - aside from the steady beep of the monitor keeping track of Lance’s heartbeat. It seemed the medics were also still asleep. In fairness, it  _ was _ rather early. As I’d made my way through the Atlas from the bedroom, I’d only spotted Shiro in the bridge with his commander friend (though I was beginning to question whether it was something more), Acxa, Keith and Kosmo, and Ina. 

“Allura?” Apparently I hadn’t picked up on Colleen. I turned, offering her a cheerful grin. 

“Good morning, Colleen,” I greeted. 

“How’s Katie? And Lance?” She evidently hadn’t spotted them lying in bed together. I only looked to them, moving out of Colleen’s way. 

“Oh,” she uttered, likely surprised at the sight of her daughter lying in such an… intimate… position with a someone who (as far as we knew) was  _ just  _ a friend. “What- ? Is- Are they..?”

“Well,” I put on my most diplomatic voice (as one had to be when conferring with mothers). “I… don’t know. Of course, I’m unaware of any changes in their relationship that occurred overnight, but…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say next. “When they lived on the Castle, they became very close,” I continued after a pause. 

“Understood,” Colleen nodded. “so I’ll be sure to watch over them, then, Princess.” 

“Please, it’s just Allura,” I corrected her, waving a hand dismissively. “Anyway, they’ll probably wake up soon. I just came to see how they were, but judging by this,” I gestured towards them, “they seem to be doing quite well,” I recoiled in on myself slightly as Pidge stirred and Lance exhaled loudly. 

Colleen folded her arms, her lips thinning. From her expression, I couldn’t decipher what she was thinking. It seemed a lot of humans were like that. Hard to read and (as I spent more time around many of them) seeming to have difficulty analysing their own feelings. 

“I’m going to get breakfast and come back,” Colleen finally decided. “Much as it would be enjoyable, Katie probably wouldn’t want me to see her wake up in this poor boy’s arms,” 

“All right,” I smiled, giving a small wave. “I’ll see you in, what? Half a varga?” 

“Sorry, what?” Colleen’s face was blank.

“Oh! Half an  _ hour _ .” I corrected myself.

“Okay,” Colleen chuckled softly. “I’ll see you,”

I simply sat on the bed beside Pidge and Lance’s, observing them, in as much of a non-creepy way I could. I figured, having spent so much time around humans, that I’d learnt a lot about them, and I had. But I certainly hadn’t learned enough - at least, not enough to know whether Pidge and Lance’s behaviour was normal. From what I’d seen, and knew from Altean culture, it was not. 

Pulled from my reverie by Pidge rustling the covers and finally sitting up slowly, wincing slightly, I crossed over to her and tentatively took the seat beside her. 

“How are you feeling, Pidge?” 

“Grea- Uh, fine, yeah. Fine. I’m okay,” she finalised, rubbing dust from her eyes. 

“And Lance?” I queried.

“He’s okay. He’ll be fine,” She looked upon Lance’s sleeping figure, a soft smile gracing her lips. 

“I’m glad. I’m sorry I wasn’t really there yesterday. It was quite nerve-wracking and I was in a bit of a state. I panicked, but I should have come to check on the pair of-”

“Allura,” Pidge stuck her hand out to calm me. “Just cool it. It’s fine, I promise. I understand, and I’m sure Lance will too,” 

Lance was asleep, a peaceful expression - not quite a smile, but almost - on his face, his breathing deep and relaxed. He was still wearing his undersuit, which was likely dirty, potentially bloody and almost certainly sweaty. 

“Should I bring some clothes for you both? As you’re both still in your undersuits - he can’t be very comfortable, and he’ll probably wake up while I’m gone,” I offered. 

“That… that’d be great, Allura. Thanks.” I gave her a short nod and left the infirmary.  _ Perhaps Lance will have woken up when I’m back,  _ I speculated. 

I found myself back in our room, where (for whatever reason) Nadia’s clothes had been strewn over her bed and plenty of wrapping paper lay, cast aside without a care, on the floor. We’d have to sort it out. I opened Pidge’s drawer and pulled out a hoodie, not dissimilar in style to the top she’d worn throughout the time we’d spent in space. 

After some more digging, I successfully found a pair of baggy trousers. In my opinion, they were hideous, but Pidge insisted they were ‘the comfiest thing ever’ and told me not to ‘knock it before I’d tried it’. I was unsure of how I’d knocked the trousers in any way, but did not spend too much time pondering on it. I figured she’d also need underwear, so (without any judgement) retrieved some. 

I then had to do the same for Lance, whose room I knocked on before being allowed in by James. It came as a shock to me that the room was tidy, save for one of the beds, which, considering the (somewhat alarming) knife poking out from under the pillow, I could only guess was Keith’s.

“Allura, hi,” James seemed somewhat surprised to see me enter. “Hi, Allura,” he repeated. “Anything that brings you here?”

“Yes, actually. I was hoping I’d be able to pick up some clothes for Lance. He spent the night in the infirmary, because of… Well, I’m sure you’ve heard,”

“Yeah, I did. Is- is he okay? Keith seemed quite shaken,” James remarked, eyeing the bundle of clothing I was already carrying.

“He’s doing better, yes. And Pidge is with him,” I indicated the mess in my arms, “and they seemed quite… Intimate,” I raised my eyebrows. 

“Is that so?” James smirked, to which I nodded honestly. “Well, rumour has it they had a  _ moment _ during the party, but of course, that none of my business...  Anyway, I should get to giving you those clothes. I guess you have a duty to fulfil, so…” He set about finding a shirt and trousers.

“Thank you,” I smiled as he offloaded it onto the seemingly ever-growing pile.

“No problem,” he said. “Let me know if you need anything.” I gave him a short wave under the weight and left. 

As I began to amble back in the direction of the infirmary, I almost -  _ almost  _ startled at one Matt Holt appearing as if from nowhere. 

“That looks like one of my old manky hoodies,” he jabbed at my arm. I gave him a pained look, mildly affronted.

“It’s for Pidge to wear. I was unaware that it was yours. I mean, it was in her drawer,” I assured. “If it offends you at all, I’ll choose another one,”

“Oh, no. I just thought you might’ve rather picked one of Lance’s for her to wear,” he winked. “It’d be a lot more romantic.” At that, I cracked. I had to ask someone about the odd behaviour I’d seen from Lance and Pidge earlier on.

“That’s it!” I exclaimed, trying to gesticulate under the weight. “They were- They- I just don’t understand! Humans are just  _ so annoying!” _

“Trust me, I know,” Matt interrupted, deadpan.

“But- Pidge and Lance. They were- I just-”

“Spit it out,” 

“They were..” I paused, momentarily unsure of myself. “ _ Cuddling, _ ” I gulped. “Very,  _ very  _ close,”

“Pidge was doing  _ what now?”  _ Matt’s face was first painted with sheer shock, then shifted to a dirty expression of pure, evil glee. He emitted a nasty-sounding chuckle, before facing me expectantly. “Allura, do you not see this? They’re- Ugh, I’m so proud of that boy for  _ finally  _ figuring it out,”

“Figuring what. . ? Matt, please explain,” 

“Give me half of that pile,” he demanded, to which I complied, grateful. “Now, let’s walk. From what I’ve seen, and the evidence you have just presented to me, Pidge and Lance are in love with each other. Completely and utterly, irrevocably and oh-so-magically smitten.” 

“So I was right!” I said, slightly aggressively, letting some of Matt’s glee seep into my mind too. “It  _ is  _ romantic!” 

“Yes, obviously. Now come on. If we’re quiet, we might catch them making out or something,” His hand hovered over the button that opened the infirmary doors. 


	21. Chapter 18 (Pidge)

Lance had woken up properly about ten minutes after Allura left to fetch us some clothes, which, at the disgusting state of my undersuit, I could only be eternally grateful for. He was in a grumbling state between whining about pain and making light-hearted romantic quips. I buried my head in my hands at “If you were a flower, you’d be a  _ damn _ delion,” and completely lost it at “Hey, do you have a mirror in your pocket? Because I can see myself in your pants,”

“Lance!” I hissed. “That’s disgusting!”

“Sorry,” he winced, although he still wore a devilish grin. “It was too good not to use,” I shook my head with an air of dismissal, knowing he was like this, and simultaneously disappointed in myself for feeling good that his jokes were directed at me and  _ glowing  _ because  _ his jokes were directed at me.  _

“Ha! Caught you!” The door smashed open. “Oh,” Matt uttered, his face falling. Allura followed shortly behind him, wearing a smug grin. 

“What- what’s this?” Lance looked from Allura to Matt, his face growing increasingly befuddled by the second. 

“Matt was  _ hoping  _ to catch you…” Allura began, as Matt shot her a warning glare. “Asleep. So that he’d be able to surprise you when you woke up.” She set down the clothes she held on the bed beside me, and took the seat beside the bed. 

“That’s exactly it,” Matt shoved Lance’s clothes into his arms. “I wanted to be there when you woke up. Nothing more, nothing less.” 

“Okay,” I said, raising an eyebrow. There was some bullshittery going on, and it wasn’t too difficult to sniff out its source. Matt’s lying grin reeked. “Matt you’re lying,” I swung my legs over the side of the bed, pursing my lips. “Look, I don’t care, I’m just going to get dressed,” 

“Will you need any help? I can be a walking aid, if you need it,” Allura offered an arm out. I shook my head in polite denial, only to crumple slightly. Evidently the pain yesterday had been masked by panic. I gripped onto Allura’s arm, knuckles almost white. 

“I’m fine,” I chuckled momentarily, straightening up. “We’ll be back any minute.” I clutched my clothes in one hand, Allura with the other and we hobbled towards the bathroom together. 

“So, Lance?” Allura raised an eyebrow accusingly. My face seemed to have turned into a furnace. I only prayed that it didn’t show.

“W- Uh, what about him? He’s Lance,” I nodded as self-assuredly as I could while limping.  

“He’s your best friend, isn’t he?” I nodded, confirming Allura’s suspicions. “Or something more?” 

“Come on. What-? What are you talking about?”

“Pidge.” Allura stopped to face me with a serious expression. “You don’t have to try to lie to me. It’s okay, I know. I saw you, and then- well, I had to ask Matt because I don’t know enough about human behaviour. But please trust me. You don’t need to hide the fact you feel strongly for Lance. That you have for a long time,”

“You knew?”

“Everyone did. Except for him and you, it seems. Anyway, it doesn’t matter! You don’t have to lie to us. Just… don’t hurt each other,”

“I’d never hurt Lance,” I said indignantly.

“I know. Now, come on. Let’s go and get changed. Matt and Lance will be wondering where we are.”


	22. Interlude (Lance)

“Lance,” Matt plopped into the chair Allura had just vacated. 

“Matt,” I replied with almost equal confidence. I folded my arms across my chest, unsure of of what was to come.

“I know about you and Katie. It’s  _ obvious.  _ Allura said you were positively  _ cuddling- _ ”

“Okay, fine. It’s… it is what it is, okay? We talked about it last night. To be honest, I really didn’t think you’d be the first person I’d talk to about my relationship with Pidge, but here we are...  I promise I won’t do anything to hurt her. I car-” 

“Shut up, I don’t want to listen to you getting soppy,” Matt interjected. “Look it’s all good. I am like, the biggest fan of… Pilan- Lidg- Plance. I like that,” I merely scoffed, unsure of what to say to that. “Just don’t be a dick. Break up with her if you feel that you have to, but don’t put her in harm’s way, okay? If you do, I swear to you, I  _ will  _ make you feel pain so bad you’ll be grateful to die,” At my expression, Matt only grinned. “I’m joking. But seriously. Be good to her,” 

“I will. I promise,” At that, the doors slid open to reveal Allura supporting a fully clothed Pidge. Matt whipped his head round with a grin. 


	23. Chapter 18, Continued (Pidge)

“We want to go to breakfast. Do you think the medics will allow Lance out to join us? If we-”

“Ugh, it’s only, what, seven? Can you not just… need us later?” Ellie emerged from the medics’ quarters, rubbing her eyes dramatically. 

“We just wanted to-” 

“Yeah, I know. ‘Can Lance go to breakfast?’ He can, but we’ll give you a wheelchair. Anyway, I need to do routine checks, so you won’t be going anywhere for the next five minutes or so,” 

“That’s not a problem. But- Well, I was kind of hoping I’d be able to change,” Lance requested. 

“I can help, if you like,” I offered. Before I realised what I’d said, I received very odd looks from Matt, the medic and Lance. “Oh! Matt, you can do it. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking,”

“Surprising, Pidge. Your brain stopped whirring for once?” I rolled my eyes at Matt, giving Lance a ‘ _ it’s-him-not-me’  _ look. He seemed to register it, only to allow a malicious grin widen across his cheeks. 

“Truly shocking. She’s always going. It’s unlike you to just  _ not think.  _ I mean, considering… how smart you are,” 

“Well, yes. You can change  _ after  _ I’ve checked that everything’s okay. Seems so, though,” Ellie gestured at Lance’s lingering smirk. She brandished a clipboard from the foot of Lance’s bed and made some hasty notes from her study of his various monitors. “Okay, it’s all looking pretty good. I’ll grab you that wheelchair and you can be off. Even better, you don’t have to return except to bring back the chair or for painkillers if it gets too much,”

“We have… fifteen doboshes until breakfast is scheduled to start. So if Matt helps Lance, then we can all go together,” Allura calculated from the clock on the wall. Allura and I waited as Matt took Lance to the bathroom to change. 

When Lance and Matt had teased me for ‘not thinking’, it set something off in my head. I  _ hadn’t  _ been thinking, certainly, but that didn’t indicate anything bad. The previous night had been lovely, because he seemed to slow everything down for me. The usual frantic activity going on in my head almost halted, and instead of being uptight and stern, finding humour in the things I’d normally turn up my nose at. I’d found that he was a catalyst for chill. 

“Come on,” Matt poked his head around the door, beckoning Allura and me over. We followed him out to where he waited with Lance, who looked very relieved to be fully clothed. 

“Ugh, the outside world,” Lance reached out dramatically into the space in front of him. “It’s been so long,”

“It’s been about a quintant, Lance.” Allura said seriously, before realising he had been joking. Her face lit up with a smile before she cracked into laughter. It was a rare occasion to see Allura laugh. What Lance had said hadn’t even been very funny, but it had been so long since any of us had properly laughed without any cares. She spewed joy to the point where we were all almost in tears (for Lance, it was possibly from the pain it caused him). What had been said certainly hadn’t been very funny, but Allura’s reaction of pure, untainted elation was infectious. 

By the time we’d all calmed down, Matt’s watch informed us that we were going to be late.

“Always making an entrance, huh?” Lance tipped his head back to look at me. For once, I got to be taller than him. I’d definitely have to take advantage of that.

“It’s Voltron’s style, right?” I grinned down at him. 

“Okay, come on, lovebirds. We actually do need to go, or there won’t be any bacon, and I will kill you both,” Matt set our course for the canteen, Lance, Allura and me in tow. We were (thankfully) not the last to breakfast. At our usual table sat Keith, Ina, Hunk, James and Nadia, while Mom was beside N-7 on a separate table. Various others sat scattered about, and I couldn’t help but notice Shiro wasn’t there. 

“I’m off then. I’m gonna sit with Mom and my favourite girl,” Matt grinned. “Have you met N-7, Allura? She’s great,”

“He’s right, actually, she is,” I agreed. “Anyway, come on. I’ve missed the others and it’s only been a day,” I wheeled Lance to our table, where Hunk and Keith looked up, their faces alight. 

“Top of the morning to you all,” Lance greeted, putting on a  _ very  _ dodgy British accent that was reminiscent of those of the medics. 

“Lance!” Hunk exclaimed, almost reaching out for a hug, before realising the physical restrictions. “It’s so good to see you,”

“I lived, motherfuckers,” Lance nodded smugly at them.

“Language,” Keith scolded. 

“Keith! It’s great to see you too,” The sarcastic tone in Lance’s voice was playful, almost teasing. “Anyway, I’m really hungry. Can we catch up  _ while  _ we eat?”

“You say ‘catch up’ as if it’s been an actual long time,” I pulled up my seat at the edge of the table so as to be sat next to Lance. 

“A day is a long time to be away from your best friends,” Hunk said pointedly, gesturing at Allura, Keith, Lance and me. Fortunately, James, Ina and Nadia were wrapped up in their own conversation, so there was no awkward ‘and you guys’ moment. 

“Hey,” Keith began, swallowing some scrambled egg. “Look, all jokes aside. I’m really glad you’re okay, Lance. And Pidge,” I shifted my gaze to him, “If you hadn’t noticed something was wrong, Lance - and Kinkade - would probably be dead by now,”

“He’s right,” Lance took my hand below the table. Forget butterflies flapping about in my stomach, there were colossal dragons beating their wings in me, their flame scorching me to the core. If this was what it felt like to…  _ love…  _ someone, I could definitely get used to it. “I was really scared I was gonna die there. So thank you. I can’t say that enough. And guys…” Lance addressed everyone at the table, “In case any of us  _ do  _ die, even though we’ve survived through a  _ lot  _ of bullshit, I just wanna say that I love you all **,”** Everyone nodded, soft smiles upon their faces. “And I’m glad that we’re all gonna make it through to next year,” 

“Don’t speak too soon,” Keith said slyly. Everybody rounded on him, completely shocked.

“Did-?” Allura paused, gaping. “Was- Was that a…  _ joke _ ?”

“Today just keeps getting better and better,” Lance remarked, dropping some of his scrambled eggs from his fork onto his plate. “First, I’m freed. Second,  _ breakfast.  _ Third, Pidge, fourth, Keith makes a joke. What’s next, Allura makes someone Altean? We all get magic powers?”

“Pfft, don’t be ridiculous. My capabilities don’t extend to  _ that _ ,” Allura waved her hand over her meal at the pure ludicrousness of what Lance had suggested. 

“Wait,” Hunk interjected. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Why was ‘Pidge’ on that list?”

“What?” Lance froze, his grip on my hand below the table deathly tight. 

“He’s right,” Keith nodded, his eyes narrowing. “Pidge was number three,”

“Oh, yeah,” Lance said coolly, eyeing Keith up with forced indifference. “She was a wonder in the med bay last night,” Everybody stared, cheeks flaring (especially me) before Lance realised what he’d said. “Not like that, sickos! She whispered sweet nothings to me through my  _ absolute agony,  _ helping a great deal.”

“Right,” Hunk nodded slowly. “Look, I’m not stupid, what’s going on?” Lance and I gawked at him blankly, giving nothing away. He then turned to Allura, who demonstrated her usual calm manner, easily hiding whatever she had to. “What are you hiding?” Hunk rounded on me. “Pidge, you’ve been awfully quiet,”  _ Okay then. _

Lance glanced at me uneasily, knowing what I was going to do. I squeezed his hand with my tiny one, and exhaled a breath I’d unwittingly held.

“Lance and I are… a couple,” I paused, waiting for a reaction, but Hunk and Keith’s faces only remained intrigued, possibly mildly amused. “We talked last night a lot. And on the night of the party. We… figured some things out, I guess. We didn’t want to make a big deal of it to you guys though. It’s silly, though. I don’t think much about us will change, which is why it isn’t a big deal,”

“Okay,” Hunk nodded. “So as long as  _ we _ ,” he indicated Keith and himself with a jerk of his thumb, “don’t make it weird, it won’t be weird?” 

“Yeah, exactly!” Lance exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. He immediately recognised his mistake when Hunk and Keith shared a devious grin. 

“In that case…” Keith faced Lance and me, his smirk unwavering. “I owe Hunk some money,”  _ Oh. They’d been betting.  _

We spent the rest of the morning in the cafeteria, chatting animatedly and speculating on what near-death experiences the new year would bring. Lance did (with my assistance) a wheelchair-bound reenactment of what had happened on that tiny moon. 

“I distinctly remember far less pickup lines and jokes,” I cut in, “and way more almost dying,”

“Shh, don’t ruin the fun of it, sweet peach,” Lance simpered. “Good drama always bends the truth a little,” 

“Never call me ‘sweet peach’ ever again.” 

“Okay, honey bunches,” 


	24. Chapter 19 (Keith)

Despite the fact he was in pain whenever he moved (or so he melodramatically emphasised), Lance was hobbling around with support only the day after he was discharged from the med bay. 

Over those two days leading up to New Year’s Eve, the atmosphere in the Atlas was stagnant. The only significant occurrence was Veronica dragging Acxa around the ship, replacing the ‘Merry Christmas!’ banners with ‘Happy New Year!’ ones.  

Shiro, however, seemed to have been having a suspiciously good time. He burst into the training deck, where I’d merely been enjoying my time alone. 

“Keith!” I dropped my stance at Shiro’s authoritative yell. 

“What?” 

“Watch your tone, young man. I only came to gush,” Shiro announced, hands on his hips, a slightly dopey smile on his face. I hadn’t seen him like this since…  _ Adam.  _

“Shiro..?” I raised an eyebrow, eyes wide.

“Keith,” Shiro grabbed my arm, his metallic fingers cooling my mangy, sweaty skin. “I.. Well,” He paused, looking away almost sheepishly, “I’ve asked Curtis to date me. After the dance, I just.. had a revelation. Keith, life’s constantly shat on me ever since I got diagnosed with the disease. And ever since Kerberos, I thought I’d never be able to live normally again. I think I’m progressing, Keith. I know that everything won’t get better in a day, but… Baby steps, right?”

“Yeah, baby steps,” I mumbled, almost in awe. Shiro had never seemed this happy. I silently thanked Curtis. Shiro’s recovery was going to be a long, and no doubt painful process, so I was overjoyed that he’d helped, at least a bit. “I’m really,  _ really  _ happy for you, Shiro. You deserve this,”

Shiro’s grip on my arm slackened, and he took a step back for a moment, grinning like a toddler who’d just told his mother his first joke. He then promptly wrapped his arms around me, knocking the air from my lungs. 

“Thanks, Keith,” I could hear the smile in his voice, and I meant what I’d said. He did deserve it. 

*

New Year’s Eve certainly brought out the festive sides of those who didn’t show it at Christmas. Hunk had spent a couple of hours in the kitchens with Allura, doing his best to recreate a traditional Altean dish she’d said something about. He’d brought out the dish, and it almost brought tears to Romelle’s eyes. Hunk grinned at her, his face gleaming with pride. She threw her arms around him, thanking him over and over again. 

“Hey, Keith!” Pidge yelled from a table with Coran. “Come and play Monsters and Mana with us!” 

“Monsters and… what?” 

“Mana!” Lance exclaimed. “It’s like Dungeons and Dragons - don’t tell me you’ve never heard of it,” 

I joined the table, mildly intrigued, scoffing at Lance. Of course I’d heard of Dungeons and Dragons. I’d just… never played it. Allura and Hunk followed behind me eagerly. 

“You missed it last time we played,” Allura squashed in beside me. “It’s so much fun, you’ll love it!” 

“But how do you play?”

“Well, young paladin, that is exactly why Pidge called you over. You must be taught the ways of Monsters and Mana,” Coran smirked, a new persona washing into his voice. 

“Okay..?” 

Coran introduced me to all the different classes of character, and maybe it was too predictable of me, but I picked a ranger type.

“Called it,” Lance blurted smugly. 

“Always the lone wolf, Keith,” Pidge sniggered, knowing by now that I’d come out of my shell a bit more. It wasn’t that I didn’t still like to be alone, just that I accepted the fact that I did have friends, a family, and that I  _ definitely  _ wanted to be around them.

*

We spent the next few hours playing Monsters and Mana. In the end, we defeated whatever monsters Coran put in front of us and the game was wrapped up by half past eleven (according to Commander Holt’s multi-time-zone watch. 

“So, Keith,” Allura sidled up to me. “Who’re you going to kiss at midnight?” 

“Wh- Allura,  _ what?”  _

“Lance and Pidge explained the tradition to me. What about… James?” Allura grabbed my shoulder tightly.

“No! No,” I shook my head wildly. “It… didn’t instantly work out between us. I don’t really feel ready for a romantic relationship, if I’m being totally honest. But trust Pidge and Lance to tell you about it,” I sighed. 

“Oh,” Allura’s face fell slightly. “Well, that’s okay, too. You can do what you want with your life, and I respect you,” She grinned.

“Thanks, Allura,” I finally let her contagious smile overtake me. 

“No problem, team leader,” She pulled me into a hug and I felt her kiss my cheek softly. It definitely wasn’t a romantic gesture (thank heavens), but it was nice to know she was there for me if I needed her there. 


	25. Chapter 20 (Lance)

“Hey, Lance,” Pidge came up to me with two cups of… something. “Try this,” I raised an eyebrow at her. 

“You haven’t spiked my drink, have you?” I grinned. Her eyes instantly widened and she took a momentary step back.

“What? No! It’s some Altean thing that Hunk recreated with Allura,” Pidge explained. “Try some, it’s good,” I took the cup from her hand and took a sip. “I don’t remember what Allura said it was called, but-”

“It’s good!” 

“Of course it is, it’s Hunk’s,” Pidge said matter-of-factly. It was almost like drinking how you’d expect liquid gold to be. There was a sort of undertone of passionfruit -  _ how the hell did Hunk manage that?  _ “But… well, that’s not really why I came here. I wanted to show you something,” I brought the cup down from my lips.

“Okay?” 

“Come with me,” Pidge gripped my hand in her tiny one and dragged me away from the communal area where everybody was. Hunk caught my eye and merely winked as Pidge whisked me away. 

“Pidge,” I huffed breathlessly, “where are we going?” 

“You’ll see,” Pidge chuckled, a smirk on her face. “You’re gonna feel so cheated that I knew about this already,” she added. 

She finally stopped outside a door labelled ‘Observation Room’. 

“Pidge, wh-”

“Shh,” she grinned like a child at a birthday party. “Just take it in, Lance,” She made a show of swiping her access card over the reader. The door slid open, and we stepped in. 

I struggled to hold back a gasp as I took it in. The far wall was entirely window, giving us a view of the stars for miles around. They shimmered like tiny diamonds, glittering as though they were little fireworks of their own. I looked to Pidge, whose face was as awestruck as I was. 

“Pidge-”

“Well, if it isn’t my two bestest friends!”

“Fuck off, Matt,”

“Okay.”

Pidge didn’t even turn around to scold her brother, and instead, at the slide of the door closing, faced me and her face broke into a fit of giggles.

“Sorry,” she choked out. “It’s just- Matt.” 

“Killed the mood a bit, didn’t he?” I chuckled. 

“In all seriousness, though,” she wiped a stray tear from her eye, “I really wanted to show you this,” 

“It’s beautiful,” I cast my eyes back to the view. 

“Come closer,” Pidge took my hand gently and led me to a set of steps just in front of the window. We sat side by side, simply staring out into the nebula. After a short while, Pidge tucked herself into my side.

“Pidge?” 

“Mm?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot, you know,” I said to the window. The gentle vibration of Pidge’s hum told me she was still listening intently. “And I’m not… I’m not about to rush into anything, or say anything big, but on that evening you asked me, you said, ‘Who could love this?’ I’m pretty sure, Katie, that, given time, I could,”

“Yeah?” Pidge sat up, her big amber eyes glinting in the darkness. 

“Yeah.” 

Pidge glanced at her wrist for a second, and I remembered.  _ It was New Year’s Eve.  _

“I hope you don’t mind… You know what happened on the party night. That wasn’t really- That’s not how I wanted it. We can try again. Would it be okay if- Can I-?” I began to freeze up. Not because I was embarrassed, per se, but because I didn’t want to make Pidge uncomfortable. 

“Shut up,” Pidge muttered, bringing her hands up to my cheeks. Her eyes fluttered closed, and, of course, I followed suit. This was it; no fake mistletoe here. All of this was real. 

We didn’t collide - the touch was compassionate, light. I brought my hands to her hair, catching my fingers in it. I could feel Pidge smile against my lips as her watch beeped, signaling the turn of the hour; midnight, the new year. 

She pulled back with a soft gasp. “Happy New Year, Lance,”

“Happy New Year, Katie,” I smiled at her through the dim, the only light being the stars out in the vast beyond. 

_ No better way to go into the new year,  _ I thought as I brought an arm around Pidge’s waist, her side pressed against mine. 

“Just so you know, you suck at kissing,”

“As if you’d know any better!”


	26. Epilogue

The air was cool and crisp, a signature February chill hanging in the atmosphere. Pidge stood on the McClains’ doormat, her breath into her scarf fogging her glasses. 

“Pidge!” Veronica greeted her. “Come on in. Lance isn’t ready yet, but I can make you some tea, if you like?” 

“Veronica, don’t pretend that you’re Mom,” Rachel’s voice drawled from the kitchen. Veronica only made a slight hissing noise in reply.

“I’d die for some tea right now, actually,” Pidge shrugged her coat off, hanging it on an already-overloaded hook. “Thanks,”

“No problem,” Veronica led Pidge into the kitchen (as though she hadn’t been in and out of the McClain residence all month). On the counter, Rachel was chomping on an apple, and Acxa was surveying the oven intensely. 

“Hey, Pidge,” Rachel waved, mouth full of apple. 

“Hi,” Pidge grinned. She’d built up a good friendship with Rachel in the time she’d been at Lance’s house over the month or so, and Acxa had almost always been there (no doubt courtesy of Veronica). 

The McClain family home wasn’t exactly the most tidy house, but it was definitely home. Sure, Pidge couldn’t sit down without having to remove one of Lance’s sweaty jumpers or the family cat from a chair, but it was  _ homely.  _ The house radiated the kind of warmth that only a well-lived-in house could; nothing like the Castle or the Atlas. 

Veronica set a cup of tea (milk, no sugar) in front of Pidge, who thanked her with a soft smile. Some overexaggerated thumping originating from the stairs announced Lance’s arrival. 

Lance struck a pose in the doorway like some overhyped popstar; Veronica and Rachel scoffed, Pidge snorted and Acxa was merely discombobulated. Despite having spent extended periods of time around humans, she still hadn’t grown accustomed to those like Lance. 

Lance showed up in smart-casual attire; his classic blue-sleeved t-shirt with a muted purple button-down (left unbuttoned) over the top. 

“Shall we,  _ honey bunches? _ ” Lance stuck out an arm to Pidge, who couldn’t help but feel obliged to take his hand. He was like a magnet; both attractive and repulsive at once. 

“All right, have a good time, lovebirds,” Veronica shooed the pair out of the front door into the night (once they’d collected their coats). 

“Says you,” Lance said, sticking out his lip rudely. “Have fun with Acxa,”

“ _ Lance!”  _ Veronica hissed, slamming the door on the pair of them. 

“As you were saying,” Pidge took Lance’s hand in hers, “shall we?”

 

 


End file.
